


A Bitty Paradise

by HickoryDox, Jennajen, MysticMae, PitchLantern, Scarpath, thelibrarbian



Series: A Bitty Paradise [2]
Category: Undertale
Genre: F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, Multi, Other, SO MANY PEOPLE, large group roleplay, so many characters - Freeform, will add more tags later
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-22
Updated: 2019-11-29
Packaged: 2020-03-09 12:00:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 22,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18916570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HickoryDox/pseuds/HickoryDox, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jennajen/pseuds/Jennajen, https://archiveofourown.org/users/MysticMae/pseuds/MysticMae, https://archiveofourown.org/users/PitchLantern/pseuds/PitchLantern, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scarpath/pseuds/Scarpath, https://archiveofourown.org/users/thelibrarbian/pseuds/thelibrarbian
Summary: A Bitty Paradise Adoption Center And Bitty RescueHere at A Bitty Paradise, we're dedicated to helping as many bitties as possible find their forever home! We accept rescue bitties, whether they come from a home where they weren't wanted, or from some other knock of life. If you see bitties you think might be in need of help, call our rescue team at (555)555-5555





	1. The Beginning.

**Author's Note:**

> This is a roleplay server. Nothing here belongs to me, Jennajen, the server itself belongs to [Scarpath](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scarpath) .

You see signs posted outside of the window, or maybe on the center's website before you came. Perhaps, you saw the signs from their places inside the center. Regardless, you read the information so you'll know more about the center.

When you look around in the main room of the bitty center, you realize that the different pens that the bitties are in actually have little, bitty sized doors in the back of them. When you ask Scar, the owner of the little center, she tells you that the bitties have rooms out of sight, where the shier of bitties can hide when overwhelmed. The little doors lead to a common area and a little apartment area.

The pens that the bitties are in are really more of fenced in areas, raised off the ground to be about 3 feet off the ground, and have about another half a foot of fencing to keep baby fingers out of the pens.

The center looks to be an old hunting lodge, repurposed to hold the bitties. You remember hearing that the renovations were pretty serious, but they really kept it close to the original as far as you could tell.

The adoption process takes at least one week, or seven visits. It is recommended that you spend longer with the bitty before you adopt. This is a life-long decision to make, after all!

You see a button on the front counter, with a small sign that says "Ring to call interested bitties out."

Before each bitty is put into the main room, they are told where everything is, given a key to a room, and told about the bell that rings for adopters.

Note: Both bitty and adopter must agree to go through with the process. An adopter can't just walk away with any bitty they want.  
Note- For things like learning a new language, you can say that some of it is happening 'off-screen'. For example, Bitty X wants to learn Sign language. Bitty Y can say that they're teaching Bitty X, and Bitty X can slowly learn it more and more without having to write it. Do try to be realistic with how long it takes to learn a language.


	2. Meetin

Tala opened the doors to the new bitty adoption center with excitement. There was finally a bitty center here in the City of Hope, and she was going to get one soon! "Hello, welcome to A Bitty Paradise! I'm Scar, and I run the place. Please, feel free to get to know any of our bitties here."

Tala wandered around the room a little, but there wasn't too much to see. This was a rescue center, so while they would still have some bitties that never had a previous owner, there wouldn't be many. And since the place just opened, there weren't many bitties at all.

She walked up to one of the few open areas that had bitties out and about. There was an adorable little bitty, of a type Tala had never seen before. "Hey there little guy. I'm Tala, you have a name?"

-

The center was fairly empty, having just opened, so when someone came in and started talking, the hellion knew she was talking to him. Problem was, he wasn't so sure he was ready for another 'caretaker'. Not after the last one... His only one... So when the fox lady asked for his name he at first just glared with his one good eye. "Maybe. Maybe not." He didn't elaborate further.

-

"I see. Mind if I give you a nickname?" Tala could tell the little guy was wary, so she did her best to seem unassuming. Her ears tilted cutely, and her large eyes were wide with curiosity.

-

He turned to angle a sharp little grin up at Tala, tail flicking behind him. "Depends. If I don't like it, do I getta bite ya?" He clicked his teeth, the sharp little fangs on full display.

-

Tala gave a michevious grin at that. Little guy was playing with _fire_ here. "Sure!"

-

His sockets widened, his one eye light flickering in surprise, before he let his expression settle back into his playful smile. He turned to more fully face the fox, wings twitching a bit with the movement for balance. "A'right. Go ahead then. What'cha got?" He considered if he wanted to go ahead and bite the girl regardless of whether he liked the name or not, or if he wanted to just pretend like he would so he could see her flinch.

-

Tala hummed, taking a moment to think of a good nickname. "Let's see, you're a really pretty shade of red... maybe... Oh! How about Maroon?"

-

Maroon? He scoffed. He'd heard worse, he supposed, but it wasn't exactly creative. Not all that accurate either. His magic color wasn't anywhere near dark enough to be _maroon_ . He was closer to bright cherry red, or some shade of ruby. Fuckin _maroon_... "Ya struck out, darlin. And I thought foxes were s'pose ta be clever. heh heh. Now, which finger d'ya wanna lose?" He'd been sitting, but now he pushed himself up onto his feet, wings flaring behind him, ready to lift him into the air. Should he dart after her? Or would she run away without him even needing to do anything?

-

"Not good enough, huh? Was worth a try, at least." Tala moved to tap the bitty lightly on the forehead with a finger. "One bite per bad name, as per the deal!" Of course, what the little guy didn't know was how Tala had her magic under her fingertips. It wouldn't hurt the bitty, but maybe give him a bit of a heated jolt? Sure would!

-

He hadn't expected her to actually reach towards him. He definitely hadn't expected her to try to touch him. His smile fell away for the first time to be replaced with a threatening, somewhat tense snarl as he ducked away from the approaching finger low enough to brace his hands on the floor, his tail lashing behind him. He scrambled back a bit on all fours, his eye light narrowed to a thin slit. "Don't fuckin touch me!" He snapped, growling, the sound high and agitated. If she moved that finger any closer, he really would bite it.

-

Tala drew back, a little shocked. "Sorry. Didn't mean to scare ya." She took a step back, then sat down on the ground just out of reach of the bitty. Hopefully that would help the little guy feel he had control.

-

His tail continued to lash behind him and he continued to growl, moving just a bit further back. His eye light darted towards one of the little doors at the back of the enclosure, debating if he wanted to flee or not. But the fox woman had backed off pretty quick, even moving to sit down so that there was no chance of her getting that close to him again without him having plenty of time to react first. He let his smile come back, though this time it was edged with anger. Presumptuous bitch. How dare she try to touch him! He didn't even know her! Did she think she could do whatever she wanted because he was small?! He'd have to think up an especially nasty trick to play on her before she left. But for now, he was done. "Fuck you." He turned and beat his little wings. They were small, but they operated more on magic than straight physics. They had him across the floor in a blink. And in the next blink he was shut away in one of the little rooms the center offered to its bitties. Maybe he'd find something wet or gross and drop it in her hair when she wasn't expecting it.

-

The little bitty sure looked amazing flying like that, but he wwas gone in an instant. Tala sagged when he was out of sight. Hit and a miss. The little guy was pretty cute though, so she decided she'd leave the center for now, and maybe come back later in the day, when she'd done her shopping for the day.

-

Tala came back to the center a few hours later, thinking that if she didn't see the bitty from before again, she could at least buy some of the generic bitty stuff for whatever bitty she did end up adopting. She looked around the center, glancing at each little pen area for the little bitty.

-

The hellion was in the rafters, sprawled out on one of the sturdy wooden supports on his back, his tail tip flicking lightly. Strictly speaking, he wasn't supposed to be up here. He wasn't supposed to leave the little pens or bitty rooms. But he liked the view from up here; Liked being able to know everything that was going on below him. Such as when that fox woman from before turned up again. The door opened and shut, letting him know someone had just come in. He rolled his skull to check out the new comer, then fully rolled onto his stomach when he caught sight of orange fur and hair. He scowled. Bitch had left too quickly earlier for him to do anything, but now... A wide grin stretched across his face. She was here, she was unsuspecting, and she didn't know where he was. Perfect. Silently, he flapped his wings and made his way quickly to a space just over the Fox lady's head. He dug into one of the pockets on his shorts and pulled out a sunflower seed. It was one of the snacks made available to the bitties at the center and he liked having some food on him at all times. He wasn't eating it now though. He was rearing back his arm and then tossing the small item at the fox, aiming specifically for one of her big ears. Then he ducked behind the rafter, hiding so that she wouldn't know where the small annoyance had come from. His smile was stretched wide and playful.

-

Something pricked at Tala's ear, and a hand darted up to feel at it. She rubbed at her sore ear a little, and looked down to spot the sunflower seed that had caused the pain. It wasn't too bad though, so she saw it as the prank it was. She figured she'd given plenty of a reaction for now, so she started walking over to the posters that lines the walls. She wanted to figure out what breed the bitty was, hopefully it would be displayed on the wall.

-

He'd thrown the seed a little harder than he'd intended if her reaction was anything to go by, but it still made him snicker lightly when the seed actually stuck in the fur of her ear enough for her to reach up and find it. Reaching into his pocket he found another seed before flitting lightly to another rafter, closer to where she'd moved. This seed he tossed a lot more gently, hoping she wouldn't feel it when it landed in her hair. He wondered how many he could get into that bright orange mop before she noticed.

-

Tala smirked when she felt another seed land in her hair. She casually flicked her head, playing it off as if she hadn't noticed the seed. It fell to the floor, and she moved on to keep looking at the posters on the wall. She wondered if the bitty she had her eyes on was the one teasing her, or if it was some other breed. She hoped it was the pretty red bitty, she really liked him.

-

He frowned (It definitely wasn't a pout.) when the fox just shook her head a bit and dislodged the seed. Was she onto him? He couldn't be sure. The little shake had been just slight enough that she might have just been tossing her hair our of her face or something. He'd try again. His tongue poked out a bit between his teeth as he wound up the toss. Lighter. Even more gently. He didn't want her to notice him. The sunflower seed sailed through the air and landed once more in that orange hair. He gave a little internal cheer at his phenomenal aim.

-

Tala didn't know if another seed had been thrown at her yet. She decided to do another move to dislodge it if it had, this time tilting her head up to look at one of the posters that were higher up on the wall. (Curse her short, four and a half foot stature) Oh! That was it! That bitty right there, a hellion from the looks of it. Tala forgot about the game for a moment, focused on reading the info on the little bugger.

-

It took a moment before she shook that one loose. Jackpot! He found the sweet spot! His single eye light was bright as he tossed another seed. Then another. She seemed distracted now, fully focused on what she was reading on those dumb posters. He nearly lost himself when he got the third seed to stick, the start of a giggle leaving him before he cut it off. He ducked behind the rafter again, hoping she wouldn't look up and spot him.

-

Tala's ears flicked back when she heard a choked off giggle. Heh, right. She was playing with a little prankster. This time she didn't even bother with weird head manuvers, blasting a little bit of warm air off the top of her head to dislodge the seeds. Three fell to the ground, not bad.

-

As he was watching the three seeds he'd managed to land in her hair just sort of popped off. Like popcorn! He blinked and edged forward a bit curiously. It was magic, right? As a monster, she was fully capable of it. But what kind? As he leaned over the edge of the rafter,a bit of warm air drifted up past him. He didn't bother to gut off his laughter this time. "Ya know, I'd heard red heads were real hot heads, but I didn't think it was that literal." He chuckled, laying on his front and folding his arms under his chin as a pillow. His eye light flashed with amusement as he gazed down on the fox, his tail happily waving behind him, his wings comfortably folded.

-

Tala laughed, looking up at the little chiming chuckles. She was happy to see the hellion. She blew a harmless little fireball into the air. It fizzled out far before it could even get close to the bitty. Her own tait wagged happily. "Heya."

-

He felt a lot better this time, being so high up. He was well out of reach of her presumptuous fingers. She could probably get him with that fire if she tried, but he had a feeling she wasn't going to try. Little light show just got another snicker out of him. "Heya yerself, ya stubborn ass." He was honestly surprised to see her back here. After their last encounter he couldn't imagine he'd made a very good impression. And she had to realize she hadn't either.

-

"What can I say?" Tala shrugged, grinning. "Little Hellfyre like you sure caught my eye." Now that she thought about it, that probably would work as a decent nickname for the guy. She'd see how he reacted.

-

The statement, as well as the nickname, had a dusting of red coloring his face. For a moment his eye light was wide and bright. Then he screwed his face up to get rid of the expression and looked away. His sleeve found its way between his teeth and he grumbled something indistinct around the fabric.

-

Oh, there went Tala. Killed by cuteness. That was too cute! Far too cute! "So, uh, if I haven't messed up too badly yet, I'd love to try and get to know you better, possibly with the idea of adoption at the end. If you don't want to be adopted, that's fine too. I'd love to get to know you either way, Hellfyre." Tala looked away, surprisingly bashful.

-

He grumbled some more and growled a little, chewing on the sleeve in his mouth. The hell was she lookin away for?! What did she have to be shy about?! It wasn't like she was the one under scrutiny here! She wasn't the god damn puppy in the window wondering if he was good enough! He looked down at her again and swore to himself before spitting out the fabric. "Fuckin fine! Shit! Whatever!" He pushed himself up, crawled to the edge of the rafter, then hopped off. His wings unfolded to catch him and have him gliding down to one of the empty little bitty pens. If he was going to do this, then he was going to do it right, so that when it all went wrong he could say it wasn't his damn fault. Now if only he could get the blush off his face, that would be fan-fucking-tastic. "Well? What ya waitin for, Fox Lady? Get yer ass over here!"

-

Tala hummed, worry flickering across her face. "Hey, it's okay if you don't want to be adopted. I'm not gonna push anything on you." She didn't want to pressure the bitty into anything. and from how grumpy he looked, he wasn't exactly the picture of happy to be adopted.

-

He balked. "Who says I don't wanna be fuckin adopted?! I said we could do this gettin ta know ya crap, didn't I?! I'm fuckin down here, ain't i?! Don't go puttin words in my mouth!" He pointed accusingly, feeling almost frantic to get his point across. He was trying to give this chick a chance, dammit, and he didn't want that to get derailed by some kind of moral bullshit just because he'd been... Embarrassed...

-

"Words aren't the only way to talk." Tala flicked her tail, starting to grow a tad irritated herself. If he was going to say one thing and act another... She took a breath to calm down. No need to get hot headed. "I go by body language as much as spoken. To me, that blush could be anything from anger to embarrassment, and your spoken lanugage tells me likely anger. Which makes me think I might be pushing you where you don't want to go." She knew her tendancy to describe every part of her thoughts annoyed many. She did it too often to bother trying to hold it back from someone who'd possibly be moving in with her, though. Besides, it was one of her best ways of deciding if she was overreacting to a situation or not. (she probably was.)

-

His tail tip flicked rapidly with his nerves, wings twitching. He wasn't exactly a social butterfly. He didn't have a lot of experience with talking or any of this other bullshit. The people he _did_ talk to usually didn't come back for a second conversation. He liked it better when he could just play and do what he wanted. "Yeah! Well!..." He huffed for a moment, little clawed fingers scratching at the bottom edge of his sweater, "Yer fuckin dumb!"

-

Tala gave a small huff of her own. "And why, pray tell, do you say that?"

-

"Cause ya are!" He grumbled, averting his gaze and crossing his arms so he wouldn't shred another shirt. "I said I'd do this gettin ta know ya thing. I came down. If I didn't wanna be adopted i wouldn'ta done that shit. If _yer_ havin second thoughts, then lemme fuckin know so I can go do somethin else." Well this was off to a fantastic start.

-

Tala leaned on her staff with a sigh. "No, I'm not having second thoughts. If I'm going to take home a bittty, then they're gonna be like you. A prankster who stand up for themself, yeah?" Tala was just trying to be responsible. Bitties didn't have the same ability to leave that a human or monster would. They could easily end up stuck in a bad situation. Tala's gaze was drawn by the crack on the hellion's skull that seemed to confirm that line of thought. She didn't want the little guy to be uncomfortable with her, but she'd have to trust that he meant his words.

-

He didn't immediately lighten up, but some of the tension did leave at that reassurance. At least she did have some idea what she was looking at here. That he wasn't some little sweetheart that was gonna do as he was told or whatever. "Then stop bein a dumbass and let's start this thing." He glared up at her, almost petulantly. He wasn't sure, at this moment in time, if he would want to go home with her. Not if misunderstandings like this would be common.

-

Tala shifted as her leg started to ache, but paid it little mind. She tired to think of a good way to 'start this thing.' "Well, as I told you last time, my name is Tala. Let's see... I have an adoptive brother, but no other family. Though... Ko vanished recently, but I'm sure- I'm sure he'll be back." Tala's voice shook. Maybe it was a little early to be sharing that tidbit about herself, but it was too late now. She rushed to keep talking to cover it up. "I'm 90 years old, which is about adult aged for a kitsune like me. I, uh, have a second tail, but I keep it hidden most of the time."

-

He'd been expecting her to ask him questions. He'd been expecting something along the lines of an interrogation. It was what most people did when they came in, to make sure the bitty they were looking at was really what they wanted. So he was a little surprised when she started off with talking about herself. And it wasn't just some mundane tidbit either, she was pulling out the personal shit. Would she expect him to pull out that kinda shit too? He fidgeted nervously, and decided not to comment on her brother. "Why keep one hidden? There somethin wrong with havin more'n one?"

-

"N-no, having two at my age is u-usually a sign that I'm really strong. It's just..." Tala sighed, and slowly unfurled her second tail. It was black, with only a few flecks of white. "It grew in black. People tend to ask about why, and I don't like to talk about it. A black tail shows great loss, and potential to be a dark kitsune." Having showed her tail, Tala quickly pulled it back up under her skirt. She really didn't like having it showing, it just reminded her of what she'd lost.

-

"Ah. S-sorry..." He didn't mean to go poking at tender things. He liked playing jokes, but he didn't like actually hurting anybody. He'd thought asking about her tail would be the _less_ invasive thing. But of course, if she was hiding it, there would be a reason. Shit... Now he felt bad. And he felt awkward because he felt bad. And he somehow felt obligated to talk about himself now too, but he couldn't think of anything he wanted to say. He wanted to leave...

-

It took Tala a long moment to compose herself. She'd closed her eyes and taken a few deep breaths. "It's okay." She opened her eyes back up again. "If you're going to be living with me, it's important you know these things. You'd find out eventually, anyways. I'll tell you about why it's black later, but let's focus on some more positive thing for now, yeah?"

-

"A'right. Whatever." A more positive topic sounded fantastic. Getting tired of standing, he plopped himself down on his butt, wings flapping a little so he didn't hit the ground too hard. He crossed his odd legs and curled his tail around himself, hands bracing on the floor behind him so he could lean back. "There anythin ya wanna know about me?" It was easier to talk about himself when he had questions to answer.

-

Tala leaned heavily on her staff, leg starting to more than just ache. She'd been on it too much today. She glanced around, but the only chairs she could see were a ways away. As the hellion had put it, whatever. She could just keep her weight off it. "Um, hmm. What makes you unique? I mean, I know most bitties take on traits mostly similar to their breed, but there are differences, yeah? What're yours?"

-

He caught the glance towards the seats closer to the front of the center and raised a brow. Was she getting tired? Well, she didn't say anything so he figured it wasn't important. The question was something a lot of people asked. His breed was kind of rare he guessed, so people didn't know a lot about what he was. He figured, since she'd shared some personal shit, it would be a bit of a dick move not to answer her now. Even if she could have just done a quick internet search or something to answer a question like this. He sighed and blandly answered, as if it was something he'd repeated a few times. "M'a hellion bitty. Like the name implies, it's typical a' my breed ta be a little shit. I like playin jokes n' bein a general pain in yer ass." He snickered a little. The flyers the center had posted in some places used slightly more polite language, but that's basically what they said. He'd seen her reading them though, so she probably knew that. "S'far as energy levels go, I ain't no baby blue, but I ain't gonna sleep all the time like some sansy neither..." He tried to think of what else was a breed specific thing. A lot of the flyers around the place also pointed out a bitty's favorite food he guessed, like how Sansies liked ketchup or Papies liked spaghetti. So with a little bit of a blush he tacked on "I like peanut butter..."

-

Tala filed the information away for later, but that wasn't what she'd been asking. "Not what I meant. What makes ya different from other Hellions? Everyone's unique, and bitties count as everyone. I don't want to just see ya as a hellion, I wanna see ya as _you_."

-

The blush got brighter. "Oh.." She was asking about him. Not just what he was, but _him._ He'd misunderstood her question. Well fuck! maybe she shoulda been more fuckin clear! He ducked his head, hunching his shoulders a bit. "I-i dunno. I ain't really... M-met any other hellions. How'm I supposed ta know what makes me different?" The scar was different. His missing eye light was different. But he didn't want to talk about those things. He didn't really want to talk about his aversion to touch either, or about how nervous he was when he was within reaching distance of another person. He knew those things weren't exactly breed standards, but... Shit... There was _something_ wasn't there? Something about him that wasn't posted up for others to read around the center? He supposed there was that one thing... He was blushing all the way to his horns and frowning hard at the floor. He'd gone back to clawing at the hem of his sweater. "I-I uh... I like... Flowers?..." His sleeve found it's way between his teeth again.

-

Tala beamed at the bitty. She didn't mention the elephant in the room, the crack in the hellion's eye or his adversion to touch. That was an obvious one, and not one that needed said. Flowers though? Those were good! "What kind of flowers? I can bring you some when I come to visit you next."

 -

She wasn't making fun of him. That was good! His last owner had always sort of snickered at him when he showed interest. She'd had a flower garden that he could see from the window. He hadn't been allowed outside, his owner paranoid that he'd fly away, but she'd brought a few flowers in to put in a vase. He'd never had the courage to ask what they were called. "I-i dunno. I like a lot of 'em." Flowers smelled nice, had soft, delicate petals, and came in all sorts of vibrant colors. He liked that. He hadn't really picked out a favorite.

-

Tala gave him a smile. "Well, then I'll just have to bring different ones everyday! Anything else? I don't really know much about hellions in general, but I can probably look up more things about your breed when I get home. I don't want to waste your time when I can just look that up myself." She shifted on her feet again, giving a small wince at the pain in her bad leg. She'd have to call it quits soon, but she was really enjoying talking with the little Hellfyre-

 -

The thought of getting to see new flowers every day without judgement had him excited, his tail moving to sway happily behind him. That wince, though, had him frowning. He ignored the prompt and instead asked, "Are ya hurt?"

-

Tala's smile slipped for a moment. "A-ah, it's an old injury. I've just been on my feet a little too long, and forgot my brace at home."

-

She was hurt! She hadn't been looking at the seats because she was tired, she was looking because she was hurting! "What the fuck?! If yer in pain then why the hell're ya still standin here?! Go sit down! Or better, go the fuck home n' rest! Ya really are fuckin dumb! When yer hurtin ya don't just keep doin the thing that's hurtin ya! God damn stupid fox!" He wasn't sure why he was so angry. He didn't even like her all that much. Right? He shouldn't care that she was being a dumb shit and standing on a leg that was hurting her. Maybe he was just worried she wouldn't be able to come back with flowers tomorrow if she hurt her leg too bad today... Yeah, that had to be it.

-

Tala just chuckled, shaking her head a little. "Like I said, it's an old injury. I've had it most my life, it isn't gonna get any worse just standing here."

-

He growled, not liking that she wasn't listening to him when obviously he was being the only smart one here. "If ya've had it for so long, then ya should know better." His tail was lashing now, wings flared out in agitation. The knowledge that even just standing there talking to him was causing her pain sat heavily on his mind. Tomorrow he'd make sure there was a chair closer to the enclosure. He wouldn't be able to move something so big himself, but it wasn't like Scar had anything better to do.

-

"Alright, alright, I'll go. See ya tomorrow, Hellfyre~" Tala gave the bitty a soft smile, before limping towards the door.

-

"Don't ferget yer brace t'morrow!" He shouted after her, ignoring the warmth that colored his face at that nickname. Dumb fox should take better care of herself. He sure as fuck wasn't going to do it for her. He watched until she was gone, then made his way to the **bitty only area**. He was interested to see if they would get any new arrivals today.

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One more bitty appears.

 He was brought into the building through the back door and in a strange room. Pressing himself against the glass he looked around scenting the air furiously trying to take in every drop of information. He had gotten upgraded to a locked glass case due to getting out in the car once already. It wasn’t his fault he was so curious! He had never been in the front seat of a car before and the human driving made it look fun! He was then placed into a smaller area with a shallow water bowl and not much else. It wasn’t his old cage and he already missed his old owner. So what if he had wanted his legs gone! He still loved him! He gave him all sorts of bugs and wiggly worms! His legs would grow back! They always did! Scenting the area he went straight to the waters bowl and curled up in it the best he could it was too small for him but he was starting to dry out from the ride and he hated being dry! He started to cup the water in his webbed hands before rubbing it over him.

-

The hellion stepped into the bitty only area and found that there was indeed a new arrival. It looked a little like a lamia, but with some notable differences. It was curled up in a little dish of water and was trying to wet the rest of its body with just water from its hands. Well. That seemed inefficient. With a little smirk, he decided he'd help the poor thing out. It took a bit of blue magic, which he wasn't very good at, but he managed to grab onto the edge of the bowl with his magic and tipped it. Water sloshed everywhere and he watched the other bitty go unbalanced before the hellion let the bowl drop back down into its original position. He was seeking to startle, not hurt.

-

It was a slow process but he was getting somewhere before he was falling. He made a startle clicking noise It didn’t help that the weight of his tail always helped gravity and successfully tipped the bowl and the water pouring everywhere. Louder clicking was heard as he started to panic watching the water scatter. He tried to start scooping the water and back into the bowl.

-

He laughed, thoroughly amused by both the startled expression on the other bitty's face as well as the startled clicking. It didn't even seem to realize that the hellion was the one who tipped the bowl.

-

The Salmia shortly gave up and curled into a ball sulking before hearing laughter. The water issue long out of his mind now he slithered over and pulled himself up the area he was in furiously scenting the air with his 3 tongues. There was a new scent! He wasn’t sure what this scent was but it was new! “Hello? Iss ssomeone there?” His voice was excitable now.

-

He chuckled a little more, but it trailed off at the sight of those tongues. That was kinda weird. He didn't let the feeling linger, though. Bitties came in all shapes. Some weirder than others, it seemed. "Nope. M'just a voice in yer head. Yer goin crazy." He snickered. He wondered how dumb this particular bitty was. He'd once had a baby blue thinking the sky was actually yellow and that the blue was color blind. If this snake like bitty was dumb, the hellion could have a lot of fun here.

-

The Salmia started snickering sounding like he was laughing the letter S. “The only voicess that come from nowhere iss from the television! I can alsso tasste you!” His tail swayed behind him as he pushed himself up more his arms hanging on the top of the area he was in a little more and he could get himself out if he so choose.

-

The hellion snickered a little more. He hadn't exactly gone out of his way to hide and he could see the other bitty perfectly fine from where he was. So he wasn't sure how he hadn't been spotted yet. Maybe the guy had bad eyes or something. "Well shit. Ya found me out. Aren't you the clever one."

-

Looking around he couldn’t see anything but he could taste the other. “Are you hiding? He could make out bigger things he knew the humans used but he couldn’t tell much detail on anything. He was trying to look around he tongues helping him figure out the direction at least where the other was.

-

The other bitty's eye lights were unfocussed, like they were looking at something far away. The lights were still there though. So, not blind, but definitely sight impaired. The hellion grinned wider. "Sure am! Let's see if ya can find me!" He didn't move, not wanting to give his position away just yet. When the other bitty wasn't looking in his direction, he'd fly up on top of something. Then he'd have fun watching the other try to find him.

-

The Slamia giggled. “I can do that withh my eyess clossed!” Lifting a bit more he literally fell out and onto the ground. Slithering towards the smell he was exited to meet a new friend! Making new friends were the best!

-

The other bitty, despite his bad eyes, seemed to come straight for him. Apparently, he had other ways to get around than just sight. When the other bitty started to get close, the hellion couldn't hold still anymore. He unfolded his wings and pushed himself into the air, alighting on top of one of the bitty 'apartments' that lined the area. "Holy shit! Ya really could get around with yer eyes closed, couldn't'cha. What kinda bitty are ya anyway. Kinda look like a lamia, but that ain't what'cha are is it?" He tilted his head curiously, folding his wings since he was safely out of reach on his perch.

-

Stopping at the main source and finding nothing he frowned then he puffed his cheeks at the new direction of the scent. “I am defiantly not a Lamia! I am a Ssalmia! Well actually I’m a mixed breed. My mother wass an Error bitty and my father was a Ssalmia bitty! Let you never make that misstake again! Sso sseeing how I can’t ssee you what are you?” The Salmia started scenting around again trying to locate more water. He was starting to feel dry again and needed to get wet.(edited) 

-

The hellion smirked. Looks like someone was touchy about being called a lamia. He'd remember that for later. "I'm a hellion. Heh." It wasn't likely the salmia knew what that was. His breed was pretty new. Salmias were probably pretty new too, seeing as how the hellion had never met one. He was sure a new flyer was already posted on the walls of the center, telling all about salmias now that they had one. he'd have to check that out.

-

He made a happy little clicking sound. “I have never met any other bitty that wassn’t my parentss or my clutch matess. I was raissed a sshort time in a sspecial facility before my old owner bought me for her sson. He wanted a Lamia sso he often removed my legs to make me look more like one. It hurt but it wass fine! It made him happy! Sso I wass happy!” Slithering towards the scent of water he maneuvered his way trying to take in the blurry surroundings.

-

The hellion froze up. This bitty had his _legs ripped off_?! And he made it sound like it was nothing... That... That wasn't normal. By the time he was able to say anything, the other bitty had already slithered off towards the pool. So.... Definitely dumb. But also kind of a bad ass. It would definitely be fun to poke at him later, but for now, the hellion decided to leave the salmia to explore.

-

Coming up on a large pool of water the loudest squealing click sounded from him before he dived into the water and bolted around the pool a few times in seconds. He came up and floated enjoying the feel of the water. Even though it could be a tad colder but he wasn’t going to complain too much. Happy chirps continued to escape.


	4. lots of new people

The torn up Rapscallion trembled as he stood at the door to the main bitty room. He had only just healed up enough to be sent out with the rest of the bitties, and even though he couldn't rmember a lick of what landed him in the hospital wing of the center, but it still managed to have lasting effects on him.

While his breed would normally be mischevious, he was shy and nervous. He peaked around the door, trying to figure out which of the apartments was supposed to be his. He glanced down at the key in his hand. It was to apartment 303. He scampered his way into the room at last, tensing up as if every eye was on him, even when he knew he probably hadn't even been noticed yet. He stretched his wings, but eventually decided against flying.

He made a line for the stairs so he could get up to his apartment.  
-  
Feeling rejuvenated again he magic was once again producing the small amount of slime again he decided to get out and see if he could find his new friend!

Pulling himself out of the pool he slithered around scenting the air until he caught a new new smell and was torn between if he wanted to find his friend or find what could be another new friend. A little distressed chirp was had before he was heading towards the new new smell. His curiosity wouldn’t let him pass up this new discovery!  
-  
The Rapscallion squeaked when he saw another bitty making their way over to him. He drew into himself a little, but stopped walking. "H-h-he-ey." 

'Little Rappy, can't even keep a stutter out of his voice.' The Rapscallion wasn't sure if the voice was his own, or from someone in his past. He tried to shove it out of his mind regardless, not wanting to remember what landed him in the center near death.  
-  
Salmia stopped his 3 tongues just about dancing taking in the concentrated scent. “Heya! Nicce to meet you!”

He got close to make the person in front of him clearer probably breaking some personal bubble rules but he was still to young to fully realize boundaries with new people. A happy little chirp as he started circling the other to take in every side and the others features unknowing trapping the other in his tail loosely.

“Your Sso pretty!!” He had never seen anything like this bitty and he loved this bitty!  
-  
The Rapscallion yelped when the other bitty got too close. His tail stub drew under his legs, and he turned and ran away as quickly as he could. Tears pricked at his eyes as he tried to calm his breathing. Once he climbed the stairs up to his little apartment, he fumbled to get the key in the lock so he could get inside and safe.  
-  
The Salmia watched as the other ran away. Did he do something wrong? A distressed chirp escaped and he wasn’t sure what he would have done to upset the other! He let the other leave unsure if he should follow. 

Turning he tried to find the other friend he was now curios on what they looked like as well! The other one was so pretty! He wondered if his other new friend would be just as pretty!  
-  
The hellion had noticed the rapscallion when he entered. But the thing had looked so skittish... It wasn't fun to play with terrified bitties. It just made him feel like a bad person.

With both of the other bitties occupied, however, he was free to go about one of his favorite past times; Laying in the grass.

As empty as the center was right now, he didn't have to worry too much about being bothered if he was on the ground. And he loved the grass. Best take advantage of the nearly empty room while he could. 

He flitted to the grassy area by the little park and laid out on it. If he closed his eyes, it smelled almost like flowers. It had the same underlying earthy scent. Just none of the actual floral hints. It was close enough for him.  
-  
Slithering through the area he finally found the scent getting more powerful. With his new slime coating he was quitter but the sounds he made when scenting the air was probably his dead giveaway of his approach. 

“Friend! I meet new new friend! He was pretty! Are you pretty to friend?!” There was happy little chirps that he was able to locate his first friend here!  
-  
He was relaxed and happy. Then he heard the hissing sound of the salmia scenting the air and his relaxed happy time was over. Before the salmia even finished speaking, the hellion had gotten up and flitted up to the top of the nearby swing set.

"Nah. I ain't pretty." He responded, an easy smile on his face, despite the edge of irritation he felt. "You kinda are though. Got all kindsa colors there, don'cha." It was just purples and blues, but with the frills and fronds, the salmia did fit the bill for something that would be considered pretty.  
-  
He looked down at himself but didn’t think his colors were all the special his brother and sister and parents were pretty and he loved them just like he loved his new new friend and wanted to know what new friend was like so he could properly love him as well!

“May I ssee you new friend? I bet your very pretty!” He followed the scent to a moving thing and looked up at his friend he could kind of see him but he was blurry still. He started clicking as he looked around to try to get closer but couldn’t really find a way to get to him.

Seeing the swings pole he decided he would try to climb it. Wrapping his tail around he tried to slither his way up but kept sliding back down. He repeated this a few times before he started to click again getting irritated that he couldn’t climb this pole to get closer to new friend!  
-  
The hellion bristled when the salmia started to climb the pole to get to him, but then relaxed, snickering as the other bitty just slid back down. He relaxed, his wings fluttering a little just to keep his balance on his perch. His tail hung below him swaying back and forth.

"Heh. Tell ya what. You get up here, n sure!" There was no way the salmia was getting up here. Not with that slick body of his. But it was fun watching him try.  
-  
He puffed his chest up now even more determined to get up! “Okay! I can do thiss!!”

He returned to his efforts! He would see how pretty his new friend was! He was at it for a good 10 mins before he was too tired to try again. Another disappointed chirp was heard as he looked up to his blurry new friend and tears threated the corners of his eyes as he started to wonder if he would ever see how pretty his new friend was! He also wondered if he had his legs if he would be able to climb this!  
-  
He chuckled as the salmia kept trying. It took a good ten minutes before he gave up too. That was some determination right there. When the guy finally gave up, though, it looked like he was about to cry. That was a little less amusing.

"Aw, come on. Ya gave it your best shot, yeah? No need for them water works." Tears or no tears, the hellion wasn't about to get close enough for the other to touch him, let alone see him with those bad eyes of his.  
-  
He sniffled as his chirps continued. “I won’t ever get to see new friend now! I love new friend! I want to know what new friend looks like!” 

The tears fell and the Salmia curled into a ball and continued to try to figure out how to get up there as he looked up at the other.  
-  
Dammit... Jokes weren't supposed to make people cry. And something told him this bitty was much younger than he looked, given his way of speaking. The hellion had apparently, metaphorically, been kicking babies. 

Well shit. Now he just felt like crap. Frowning, he spread his wings and took off, heading for his own apartment. He didn't want to play anymore.  
-  
A louder distressed noise came from the Salmia this was the second friend that ran from him he just wanted to see his pretty friends and love them! It was moments like this he missed his clutch mates so he could just wiggling into the pile and feel wanted.

Slithering back to the pool he went and laid down at the bottom just wanting to be alone but not alone at the same time.  
-  
The rapscallion shyly peaked his head out of his door about an hour and a half after he'd run to hide. ((going real time here)) He was still pretty skittish, watching the area owlishly. When he saw that the coast was clear, he gave his wings a quick test. Thankfully they worked by magic, so even torn as they were, he was able to get in the air.

He glided down to the grass that was in the middle of the room, laying down in it. It was surprisingly comfortable.  
-  
A box makes its way into the enclosure fast. An agressive hissing noise comes out of the box. A thump can be heard and a hole is form when a two black antlers poke out of the box. A growling hiss can be heard crying out.  
-  
With a jolt, the rapscallion lept to his feet. He flew into the air, eyes darting around for the source of the growling.  
-  
Giving up he gives a loud whine his antler stuck on the box his tail coil up in uncomfortable angle making his bones hurt.  
-  
Scar sighed, kneeling down next to the box. "Come on, let's get you out of there." 

She carefully pulled at the box to keep from hurting the bitty more.  
-  
Hanging from the box he huff and crosses his arms. “I didnt need any help.” He snarls at the adoption center owner.  
-  
"I'm sure you didn't." Scar affirmed, not wanting to engage too much herself. She stepped out of the room, so she was just watching through the glass window of the door.  
-  
Hearing the commotion, the hellion peeked out of his door. He just caught the back of Scar as she retreated from the room. Had a bitty done something that needed her intervention? Interested, he stepped out and over to the railing at the edge of the shelf his apartment was perched on. He lived on the highest shelf in the room, so he was able to see most of what was going on in the room.

There was a new bitty. An actual lamia this time, though it had antlers. Strange. He didn't think he'd ever seen a lamia with antlers. The guy looked angry. He grinned. Angry bitties were some of the most fun to mess with. 

For now, he decided to stay where he was and watch.  
-  
Stretching his whole body he sigh in satisfaction when he hears soft pop on his tail bones. Looking around the room with his sharp eye. his tongue comes out to taste air he sense other bitties. but ignore them when he sees a few basking stones. slithering into the stones he coils in to one of the biggest stone. he sighs when the lamp heat his body and lay on his coils but still alert looking out for danger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://discord.gg/z4QtTke  
> join the server!


	5. another one

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> let me know if who says what starts to get confusing.

V scratched the back of his skull nervously. You can do this, these bitties aren't like the ones who hurt you. You may not be the most socially adept after what happened but maybe that can change? 

His situation was rather ironic, he was touch starved due to the experiment performed on him unwillingly, and yet he was scared to death of even being near others. Some of the bitties who had hurt him before seemed nice until they were told to practice their moves on the training dummy, some even apologized afterwards, but most had this cold and unfeeling facade that sent shivers down his spine. 

You aren't there anymore everyone here has no reason to hurt you, they all have their own stories V told himself as he began to take deep, calming breathes. "Okay you can do this just walk in there," V encouraged himself aloud, voice sounding like a raspy Baby Blue. 

Finally, he does walk in with slow, almost shaky movements as his star pupil darts around the area almost panicky. Would someone try and talk to him? Would they avoid the weird looking Scaryberry? He wasn't certain which would be worse. The Baby Blue side of him craved affection and acceptance, while the Horror side could be fine with little to no contact. He was a walking contradiction.  
-  
Rapscallion flew up and up, until he was able to settle down on one of the rafters of the large room, and just watch. As such, he quickly noticed the bitty that was hovering just as shy as he had, only a couple hours ago. 

He was frozen with indecision. Did he go down to try and help the new guy, or stay up where it was safe?  
-  
Raisin his head from his coil he sees a shy bitty. curiously he Uncoiled from his spot and slowly slithers to other bitty. Making sure his long intimidating form does bot scare the the small mixed.  
-  
Code red, code red, you are being approached and this is not a drill! V's star pupil settled on the lamia in front of him and his body froze up. Holy crud, this bitty was big, the tail behind the bitty was rather intimidating to be honest, even though he could tell the other was trying not to scare him he was still terrified. 

He had the urge to run they'll hurt you, they'll hurt you, he had the urge to speak with the other so long since you've seen another bitty, and they seem nice, and the battle raged on in his mind until finally he spoke up. "H-Hi, I-I am V a s-scaryberry," nice introduction there think you could possibly stutter just a little more? Not quite sure this bitty thinks you're nuts yet. V wanted to run away even more now, stars why was he so awkward? Was it really that hard to speak without sounding like a frightened babybones?  
-  
Approaching the other catiously. he stops infront of the other and coils his tail. “Hello there you okay the names is shiny.”He tries to make his voice softer than normal but growls at the end when he tell his name.  
-  
Growl why growl? Did I do something wrong? Am I going to be attacked V was freaking out within his mind as the other growled at the end of their sentence. V felt like dropping down into the fetal position and hoping that the other wouldn't hurt him. Hurt, don't want to hurt anymore V's bones rattled together quietly as he shook a bit, his star pupil filled with pure fear. 

He tried calming himself down with his breathing excersizes but he found himself unable to and on the verge of hyperventilating. Logically speaking the other probably meant him no harm, but try telling that to V's mind that was running wild with flashbacks of being tied to a post and unable to defend himself as attacks chipped and scratched his bones. 

V couldn't handle it and he dropped down to the ground and curled up babbling, "m'sorry, m'sorry don hurt me please don hurt me!" His voice pleading and filled with terror, usually he spoke like most Baby Blues using proper grammar, but when he was feeling an extreme emotion it would revert to something more like a Horror with I'm being replace with m and you with ya among other things.  
-  
Raising aneye ridge at the other panic attack. he slowly hugs the other into his arms. He slowly starts to purr his instincts telling him to protect. Nuzzling with affection at the small scared bitty. “Dont worry i wont hurt you.”  
-  
V stopped shaking so hard and babbling, "m'sorry", when he was picked up by the larger bitty in a hug. Huh, not hurt? It was far from hurting, in fact, it felt quiet nice and made him calm down enough to not be completely terrified of the other. V had never been hugged by anyone, most of his owners had kept him around for the novelty of a rare custom bitty, and the most attention he got was being stuffed into a bitty purse so others could awe and coo at him like some fancy spoiled dog. Then he would be given to a bitty fighting ring after he bit his owner for almost breaking his ribs by pushing him too hard into a purse. There the only attention he received was somebody tying him up so he wouldn't hurt the one attacking him. 

Though even the worst of homes were better than the last one, where he was kept alone in the dark and given just enough food to survive. What Shiny was doing was something completely foreign to him, but he liked it, and when the lamia nuzzled him affectionately and purred he felt his fears melting away, safe, not gonna hurt me. V's thoughts were confirmed when the other said he wouldn't hurt him. 

V nuzzled himself against the other, he felt safe. V had never felt so happy to be touched, and it was the first time he'd been soothed and didn't feel like the soother had an ulterior motive. "T-thank you Shy," it came naturally for V to give nicknames to those who he found to be likeable, he supposed it was the Baby Blue in him.  
-  
He coos at the other bitty. Ignoring the nickname. “You’re welcome want me to put you back to the ground.” Feeling the other nuzzling on to him he rocks the other with a small hum.  
-  
The Salmia woke up from the bottom of the pool. He didn’t even realize he had fallen asleep. He was just sad and wanted to be alone he didn’t expect a nap. Stretching he swam up to the surface and floated there as he contemplated what he wanted to do. He blew bubbles as he floated.  
-  
V was honestly fine staying like this, but the other bitty may not want to keep comforting him. The cooing didn't bother him coming from the lamia, even if he did have bad association with cooing when the other did it V found himself content. He was apparently so content that he had begun to purr, almost like a cat. 

When the other one began to rock him V was aware of how much like a babybones he looked, despite being a mature bitty. He blushed a bit one cheek, the one under his star pupil eye orb was blue and the other under his empty socket was red, another product of his mixed heritage. "I'm f-fine staying like this a bit longer, b-but if you want to put me down that's fine, I'll be okay now," V answered the other one, he wanted the other to decide based on what they wanted to do, the last thing he wanted was to make Shy (Shiny) feel awkward or forced into something. V knew all to well those feelings and wouldn't wish them on anybody.  
-  
Seeing as everything seemed to have calmed down, the Rapscallion slowly drifted down until he was back down on the grass. He didn't fully relax, but at least the grass was soft.  
-  
Shiny frowns at the other shyness small and the stutter didn’t faze him his arms aren’t tired yet so kept holding to the small bitty in making his tail coil so he can rest better. “Where do you come from.” Seeing the bitty in a bad state made his instincts scream at the though of this center mistreating this bitty.  
-  
After laying there the Salmia started to scent the air and he had tasted many new new scents. There were so many it almost overwhelmed him after being under the water so long. He scented the air more wanting to get information but wasn’t sure if he was getting the information on the right bitty or not. 

Swimming to the edge he looked around but with his eye sight so bad he wasn’t sure what he was really looking at. He choose to sit on the edge of the pool with his tail still in the water.  
-  
Turned out, the show wasn't nearly as exciting as the hellion has hoped. The big guy had just gone and laid down on a basking stone. His hopes had rissen again when a new bitty entered, but that turned out to be just another terrified baby bones.

Boring. It was all very boring. He contemplated going to find a spot on the grass, but when he looked down again, there was the rapscallion. The hellion pouted. His favorite spot was stolen.

Welp. Maybe it was time for food instead then. There was nobody over at the fridges or the food counters. He stepped up onto the rail along the shelf, then hopped off the other side so he could glide down to the fridges so he could find some snack that wasn't just the sunflower seeds in his pockets.  
-  
V felt himself freeze up, of all the questions Shiny could have asked him it had to ask that one. V took in a deep breath to calm himself, "well that depends on what you mean? Originally I came from an exclusive breeder who dealt with solely Scaryberrys, but more recently I was in the c-care of a Mr. Valentine. He...well he was the worst home I've had. He didn't hurt me, but he kept me in a dark, cramped space away from any other bitties, humans, or monsters," V shivered at the memory, yet telling someone seemed to help so he kept going. "He wanted to know if I could survive without contact or if I'd fall down. Horror bitties don't require contact but Baby Blues do or they will fall down at some point, they just get too depressed and give up." V finished his explanation of his previous home and his original one. 

V wasn't sure why he felt safe with sharing this information with Shy (Shiny), was he just so touch starved all it took was a hug to gain his confidence? How unbelievably and utterly pathetic....  
-  
Hugging V close to him he glares at the ground hearing what happen to this small bitty made his magic want to be unleash. But holding V in his arms he holds back. “Its not you’re fault im the most expensive bitty some rich parents bought me and put me on the same place as their shitty edgy the kid quickly hug me like i was a toy.” Shiny huff in anger remembering the child grabbing him with sticky hands the edgy starting a tantrum making the other lash out at the edgy. “Don’t worry while im here nobody is not gonna hurt you ill make sure they will meet my antlers.”  
-  
V hugged Shy (Shiny) back upon hearing his story, though he was a bit concerned about what the lamia would do to someone who did something to him. I'm not worth the trouble of protecting, really. V would sooner let someone hurt them than bother another bitty for help, he was already so scarred and broken what were a few more chips and cracks?

"I'm sorry that happened to you, you deserved better," V told Shy, and he meant it. Shy had been the one to comfort him and help him through his panic attack a bitty like that deserved more than being taken to a center because he wasn't exactly what some spoiled kid wanted him to be. "But you really don't have to protect me...I'm used to being hurt and wouldn't want to bother you."  
-  
The Salmia’s magic gurgled and he held it for a moment. He was hungry but there wasn’t any in the pool at he wasn’t really sure of the place he was in either. He was new and this pace was new to him. He started to make a distressed chirping sound because he wasn’t sure what to do. He always had food brought to him he didn’t know how to hunt or where to find food on his own.  
-  
Shiny softly Growl at other self hatred. “It’s not really your fault humans are cruel and never show any good just money and their greed. Your a very nice bitty with bad upbringing and ill protect you and if someone tries to adopt you ill bite their hands off if i have to.” He cuddle the other closer with a nuzzle he can feel the other’s loathing and self hatred he never felt anything like this and wants to help the other.  
-  
The Rapscallion's brow furrowed at the sound the little axolotl like bitty gave. They'd gotten into his face and made him uncomfortable, did he really want to apprach?

He stood, wavering for a long moment before walking over to the little guy. "H-h-hel-ell-llo. Wh-wh-a-at's wr-wrong-ng?"  
-  
The Salmia looked up at the noise a confused look at the blurry figure before him. He scented the air and realized it was his new new friend!

“New new friend! Hello!” His happiness distracted him from his hunger for a moment before the pain hit again and another distressed chirp left him.

“Do you know where the food is? I don’t know where the food is. There is no food in the water.” He had looked into the water like it should have food in it like his last place had done for him. He missed his old home. Missed the blood worms and the crickets he was given.  
-  
"C-ca-an y-yo-ou fol-oll-ollow me w-wi-ith-tho-out g-gett-tting t-too close-e?" The rapscallion was nervous still, not liking how close the bitty had gotten before.  
\- The Salmia tilted his head but then nodded. “Yess I can do that. I can follow your sscent. I can’t ssee very well when im not in the water.”

Getting up and out of the water fully he stood waiting for the other to lead the way to food.  
-  
"K-ka-ay." The Rapscallion walked slowly, making sure the little bitty was following the whole way. "Wh-wha-at d-do yo-ou w-wan-ant?"  
\- The Salmia scented the air often to make sure he was still following the other he couldn’t really tell if the blur he was following was the correct blur.

“I like wormss! I alsso like cricketss! There tasssty. Blood wormss are the tasstiesst~!”  
-  
Well that was interesting to say the least, first the other one growled softly (which caused him to shake a little out of reflex) as if chastising him for thinking so lowly of himself, then, the lamia called him a nice bitty. Nice bitty? No I bit someone and drew blood nice bitties don't do that. He should've just called out that the human was hurting him and not bite them. It was his fault he was sent to the bad people. 

V found himself blushing his bi-color blush when the lamia told him that he would protect him even from being adopted. He'd never had anyone care so much about him before, it was nice but he didn't feel like he'd earned it, the only thing he'd done of note was have a panic attack, that shouldn't make him likeable it should make the other avoid him like the plague. 

However, he found himself smiling as the other nuzzled him, "Okay as long as you promise it won't bother you I'll accept your protection. Thank you again for...well everything."  
-  
"O-o-oka-ay, th-tha-at w-wi-ill b-be i-in th-the f-fridge-es t-to k-keep al-ali-ve lo-onger." The rapscallion led the little bitty over to the small fridges that lined the walls, noticing the one that said bugs clearly on the front. He pulled it open so the bitty could smell what was inside.  
-  
‘heh cute must protect.’ He can still feel the shame on the other soul. “It’s alright im going to put you down alright and get gonna some food for my self follow me if you want to come.”Putting V gently into the ground he uncoiled and gives a one last nuzzle before slithering to the food counter. He already smell the food before coming here hasn’t eating a while because of humans thinking it would help him  
\- As soon as the fridge was open he could taste the squirming delights that waited for him he slithered closer and quickly scented around inside like crazy before finding a familiar scent that he knew to be crickets! 

Grabbing hold of it he opened it and looked at them. It wouldn’t be the same catching them in the water but he was to hungry to care at the moment. He took a handful and shoved it in his face loud crunching noises being her in between happy chirps.  
-  
That done, the Rapscallion quickly took back to the air. He grabbed a couple things to munch on from the counter, then made his way back up to the rafters. He wasn't in the mood to do much socializing, but he needed to at least make sure everything was okay before he went back to his little apartment  
-  
The hellion had been at the fridge for a few minutes now, debating with himself. He liked peanutbutter. He really, really did. But it wasn't good to eat that for every meal, was it? He should try to eat something else, shouldn't he? That's what he'd been told anyway... But... He really liked peanut butter... Which was kept in a cabinet under the food counter, not in the fridge... Nothing in the fridge looked good. Sure, he could check a different fridge, but he knew what he would find. Just a bunch of things that weren't peanutbutter.

He was interrupted from his thoughts when he heard others approach. He shut the door quickly and spun to see who it was. The salmia and the rapscallion. Welp. Time to leave. He could go over to the counter instead and just get some peanut butter. There was nothin for it. the fridges had been compromised.  
-  
Part way through eating the Salmia started choking on all the dry bugs. He was used to sucking them up with water and basically swallowing them down this dry eating was giving him issues.  
-  
The peanut butter was kept in conveniently bitty sized packets. Before he could just snatch one and take off, however, he heard the little salmia choking. He winced. 

"Chew n swallow kid!" He barked, not really knowing what to do in this situation.


	6. Chew your food

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Salmia doesn't exactly have a 'good time'.

Arriving at the eating area, Shiny sees the Salmia choking. Rushing toward the little thing, he patted his back quickly. Frowning worryingly at the other. He then glares at the hellion for not helping the small thing.

-

The area was becoming really crowded really fast and it was making the hellion *really nervous*. He held a peanut butter packet in his clenched hand and was backing away slowly from the commotion.

He was glad someone had come to help, he really was, but he wished he'd gotten out of there first. When the larger bitty glared at him, he hissed and flew away.

-

There was a pat on the Salmia’s back but it wasn’t doing much help. He was clawing at his throat, tears in his eyes. He needed water but he wasn’t sure how to tell someone. 

Falling over, he wiggled his tail around himself, squeezing himself tightly, making himself throw up the food he just ate and also forcing the food that was stuck out.

His throat hurt, and his body hurt from squeezing, and all he could do was cry and chirp his distress out. He just wanted to go home and be in his tank where there was food that didn’t choke him! The Salmia was shaking and couldn’t focus enough to scent out the water he had come from.

-

Seeing the other cry out on the ground, Shiny quickly thinks on another way and slithers quickly into a fridge and opens the fridge to find a bitty sized water bottle. Quickly opening it, he rushes to the others side, pressing the water to the other’s mouth.

-

V followed close behind Shy (Shiny), still afraid of the other bitties and not used to too much socializing. When they arrived at where the food was, V almost froze up and he had to force himself not to hide, though blue and red sweat began running down his skull. 

_ 'So many bitties, what if they try and talk to me? What if they all gang up on me and start attacking?'  _

V breathed in calmly. It was okay. Shy was here to keep him safe. He had said he would, and V trusted him.

There was a small bitty choking and Shy helped it, glaring at the one who didn't. The one who didn't help flew off with a hiss and V quickly cowered behind Shy unable to resist his urge to hide. 

_ *Hissing meant anger and anger meant pain, he didn't want pain* _

V shook a little from his hiding spot. His mind flashed back to his first time being used as a training dummy.

A particularly nasty Brassberry had taunted him, and when he spoke out his discomfort he had hissed and said  _ "Shut up, yet makin' me angry and ya won't like me when I'm angry.' _

-

Making sure the Salmia drinks the water bottle completely, Shiny finally notices V, grabbing the other in a side hug. “Are you ok?"

-

Soon as the cold water hit his mouth, the Salmia eagerly started to suckle on the bottle the best he could, making a mess of himself but also enjoying the cold water that ran in his mouth and onto his body. Once he felt better, he pulled the bottle away and looked at the slightly blurry bitty that was next to him now.

For a moment he thought it was another Salmia, but when he leaned in closer and scented the air, he found it wasn’t.

“Th.. thank you.” He rubbed at his sockets to clear them from moisture.

-

V was lost in thought, so the moment the other touched him he winced and shrank back. The touch did however help him to stay grounded in this moment, so it only took a little bit of his star pupil moving around to realize he was safe. The other had flown off and no one else was trying to harm him. 

_ 'Broken bitty, that is what you are, a broken bitty unable to distinguish reality from fantasy, the present from the past. How long until your new "protector" tires of your antics and leaves you just like everyone else?' _

V looked over at Shy (Shiny) and tried to give the other a reassuring smile, though it probably came across as forced, "J-J-Ju-ust f-fine n-now, h-h-hiss sc-scared me." 

_ 'So much so that you forgot how to speak properly apparently'  _

"s-sorry shouldn't make you worry." That was much better.

-

Shiny leans down again to the Salmia and rubs the other back gently, minding his claws. “You’re welcome. Are you sure you’re alright now.” He glanced again to the other small bitty and return the smile to V. “Don't ever be sorry, you didn’t do nothing wrong.”

-

The rapscallion felt awful for hesitating when he saw the bitty choking. He'd have to touch for that though, and by the time he got the courage to do so... the bitty had already been taken care of.

_ 'Useless, useless, useless. Little 'ol Rappy, can't even help another bitty.' _

-

The Salmia shook his head yes again. “Iss fine now.  Iss just. Not ussed to not eating in water.” Another distressed chirp escaped.  He was still hungry but he didn’t want to try and eat out of water again.

-

Stressed and upset, the Hellion flew all the way back to his apartment. He dashed inside, slammed the door behind him and threw his packet of food to the ground. He gave a frustrated little shout and leaned his back against the door, sliding down until he was sitting, his claws digging into his own skull.

Fuck! That was so bad! And fuck that damn Lamia! The hell was the hellion supposed to do in a situation like that?! It's not like he would have been able to make himself touch the kid! He was useless! No help at all!

Not that he was the most helpful bitty at the best of times but... He should have at least been able to help a god damn kid who was choking to death... Pathetic...

-

Shiny tilted his head in confusion. “Why not take it to the pool? You can just throw them in and get them.”

-

The little Salmia looked up at the much larger Lamia like what he said was a foreign concept. He started to chirp to himself almost like if someone was mumbling.

-

The Rapscallion finally got an idea of what he could do to help. He darted past the other bitties to grab a container of bloodworms. "P-pu-uttin-ing wo-wor-orms i-in th-the poo-ool."

And that's exactly what he did. Dumped the whole thing of worms in.

-

His new new friend brought the Salmia out of his chirping mumbling and he quickly darted after the other. He loved blood worms! And they would be in the pool! He could eat! He was so happy! He happily chirped and dived into the water quickly swimming around catching the worms as he went.

-

Don't be sorry? How? How can he not be sorry for causing the other to worry.

V looked over at the Salmia(?), he wasn't exactly sure about the breed but he was fairly certain that was the name. Were there any bloodworm cubes? They were made to go in water, his first owner also had some axolotls that he'd help tend to. He always found their faces adorably cute, they used suction to feed. His first owner wasn't that bad they just underestimated how much care went into a bitty and figured he was more like a living accessory that didn't need much beyond food and a house.

V looked mildly disturbed when the other dropped in a whole container of bloodworms. "T-That may be a bit much considering his size. If he's anything like an axolotl that is… um sorry I don't know much about other bitties."

_ 'Except for how much each one could hurt you* _

-

The Rapscallion drew back at the chastisement, tears welling in his eyes. He'd just wanted to help, but he'd just made things worse, apparently.

-

After a few more laps, and a full belly, there were still plenty of worms still wiggling in the pool. The Salmia came up for air and floated chirping happily.  “New new friend is best new new friend! I love new new friend!”

-

Seeing the other slither off with a start, Shiny sighs with relief when the Salmia chirps with happiness. He can feel his magic gnaw with hunger. He finally slithers into the fridge opening.

He sees peanut butter and grabs one for himself and for V. He slithers to V and hands him some peanut butter. “Here.” Shiny finally got something to eat, his hunger disappearing.

-

V noticed the other draw back, "N- no it's fine, I was j-j-just trying to help for future reference. Pl-please don't h-h-hate me," V shrunk back as well, as if the others reaction had physically harmed him. "M'not worth g-getting upset over....I sh-should just go."

_ 'Nice this must be a new record for the center get someone to hate you in under three seconds, you should write a book.' _

V looked over to Shy with a soft smile and took the peanut butter before he turned around and started walking away. It may be better if he left the others alone, no one would worry or be hurt by him. V began eating so he wouldn't burst out into tears like a babybones.

He was fine, he had been alone before, he could do it again if it meant the others would be happy. 

_'Broken, broken and worthless, pain is all you're good for whether on yourself or others.'_

-

After another moment, the Salmia moved out of the water and laid near it. His tail still in the water, and curled up to get more sleep now that he had a full tummy. It wasn’t a comfy mossy rock but it would work, he knew there was more food and water right by him!

-

The Rapscallion tried to force words out, but they just caught in his throat. His breathing started to pick up in pace, and he knew he was on the verge of another panic. He turned tail and flew right up to his door. He needed sleep, maybe that would help him calm down.

-

Seeing V walk away, “Hey its okay to talk to me anytime,” Shiny calls out to V as he slithers back to the rocks. He curls up on his coils, and sleeps.

-

Like V would do that, it would only cause the other distress and he didn't want that. No, V was going to be alone. It was better that way. 

He fell asleep on the ground away from others, he didn't know where he was for sure, there was grass though, which provided some padding though not much. V had slept on worse, and in worse places. Besides he was alone now, but terrified to close his eyes… It was dark, and V *hated* the dark. It scared him. He'd see things in it that weren't real, and it reminded him of his time in isolation. At least this was something he chose for himself.

His eyes kept closing on him, and he would panic and glance around again and again to make sure he wasn't back in the isolation tank. Eventually, he fell into a fitful slumber filled with the faces of those who had hurt or abandoned him. He was going to wake up feeling like he got run over by a truck, but otherwise he would be fine.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we're back! We'll try and get more out for you as soon as possible.
> 
> Come join us!  
> https://discord.gg/e7CdBhe
> 
> ~Mae


	7. New bitties arrive!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Niv and a Boss make their way into the center.

Eventually, the Hellion ate his damn peanut butter. He'd gone through all that trouble to get it, he was damn well gonna eat it. Then he went to bed, completely done with this day. His dreams were unpleasant. Filled with large hands and the echo of choking.

He woke up early. He liked to be up early. His old owner had used to open one of the screened backed windows in the morning so he could smell the garden and the damp soil. It was one of his favorite parts of his day. There was no more screen backed window to look forward to at the center, but the habit still stuck. Which worked for him, because he could get away with a lot more while the other bitties were still sleeping... And he needed to get back at that big asshole who glared at him for no damn reason.

He snuck out of his apartment silently and flew around the room, looking for likely places to set up pranks. He'd have to do something to the basking rocks for sure, but he'd have to be extra quiet if he decided to do it while the asshole was still there. That would be fine though. The hellion was very good at being silent.

-

Waking up from his slumber, the Lamia stretches his body with a yawn. He then looks around seeing that V didn’t follow him, he shrugged. He will find him later, the little bitty seems very unstable.

-

V fitfully tossed about in his sleep murmuring, "m'sorry" and "I'll be good". In his nightmare he was flashing back and forth between his owners and the fighting ring. 

_ "Here, Precious I have a new dress for you!" Precious hated dresses he wasn't comfortable in them and he was never allowed to wear anything else other than his ribbon. He didn't even know where his owner put his old clothes. Oh and he hated his name here, Precious, as if he was a pet, Precious wasn't a name it was an adjective. _

V turned over and stared, sweating red and blue sweat. 

_ "Scaryberry huh, shouldn't we try and sell it if it's such a rare mix?" A gruff male voice asked outside of his dark box. "Nah, somethings wrong with him apparently, he keeps getting handed around, plus he bit the person I got him from. Poor girl had to have stitches, buggers got some nasty fangs, and before ya ask no he doesn't fight either, he's mostly passive so I think the best thing to use em for would either be as a breeder or a training dummy, but if his kids inherit his odd personality they'll be useless, so training dummy sounds best," another dark voice above him said. _

-

Waking up the Salmia was tangled in his tail. He didn’t mind this, it sort of reminded him of being back in his clutch.  His stomach notified him he was once again hungry. Untangling himself, he looked into the water and saw there were still worms! He chirped happily.

Diving in, he ate his fill once again and enjoyed a nice soak as he was digesting.

He started to scent the air and caught sent of the Lamia that had helped him the other day. He was so distracted with food and choking that he never properly introduced himself! He could get a new new new friend! Getting so many new friends were the best!

Getting to the edge, he climbed out and went towards the scent and found him lying on a heated rock. He wasn’t much for enjoying the heat, but he could handle short bits of it. Chirping happily as he approached, he wasted no time in climbing up onto the bigger lamia to both get a closer look and also to be close to another amphibian.

“Hello! Thankss again for helping me yessterday! Your big! And very pretty! I love you!” He continued to chirp happily as he slithered and climbed all over before settling, hanging off the others back, arms draped around the others shoulder, and his face nuzzling as his tongues scented the other more.

-

The Lameer hisses in surprise. But calms down quickly when he feels the other slimy body against him. 

“It’s alright it was the right thing to do.” He can feel the the other tongues on him, shivering a little at the little bittys tongue. 

“What are you doing?”

-

“I wanted to ssay hi, cause I didn’t get to yessterday. Sso many new friendss here! I lovess all my new friendss!”

He continued to chirp away and enjoying contact with the other.

-

Niv slowly peeked around the door to the enclosure. 'So... This will be my home for the next bit huh.' He thought to himself.

It looked pretty good to him.

-

_ "Subject 5 has been showing signs of depression, as well as a bit of touch deprivation. Subject 5 seems to be becoming a bit mentally unstable as they swear there are beings in the tank besides him. However, Subject 5 seems to be more resilient than most Baby Blue mixes, perhaps a few more weeks are needed to truly see if they will fall down." _

V woke up screaming.

_ ’No he was good why was he getting more time!?’  _

Then he looked around himself and remembered he was no longer in the care of Valentine, he was at the bitty center. Well.... He blushed, he really hoped no one had heard him. ‘Way to be an even more awkward and weird bitty.’

-

The Rapscallion jolted from his sleep at the sound of a scream from outside his apartment. He whined, curling up into a ball. His bones rattled in terror.  _ 'Please no, no more, I can't take this!' _

-

“Oh then would you let go? Your slime is all over me.” 

He can feel the slimy substance on his scales making him want to roll over to the pool and stay there for a while. He hears a scream and slowly tries to peels of the others arms and slither off to the scream. 

“Let go right now.” He hisses harshly to the bitty.

-

There was a sad chirp that left the Salmia but he did as he was told. He liked this Lamia, and wanted to not upset his new new new friend! Once he was off, he followed after the other still enjoying having company!

-

Nivs' head turned quickly to the sound of the scream to see another bitty sitting up looking embarrassed.

He quietly slipped through the door, before heading over to see if the other was alright.

Walking over, Niv asked, "You ok kid?"

-

The Boss let out a sigh as he stepped into the bitty-only area. On the one hand, he was glad to be finally let out of the hospital wing and its stifling atmosphere. After all, it had taken him long enough to convince the healers that  _ ‘yes, _ he was well enough to not be under constant supervision’, and ‘ _ yes, _ he could handle himself just fine in the bitty area.’

On the other hand, being out of the hospital wing meant dealing with the other bitties.  _ ‘Socializing. Ugh.’ _ Adjusting his crutches to better distribute his weight, he looked over the enclosure. Two lamias of some exotic breeds he had never seen before were cuddling in a rocky area. Or rather, the smaller one was hugging the larger. In any case, he decided to stay well away from them to avoid getting pulled into the cuddle session as well.

A scream pulled him out of his thoughts and instantly set him on guard. Was something happening? - No, just some nervous wreck of a bitty having a nightmare, by the looks of it. And one of the other bitties was already dealing with it.  _ ‘Good, not my problem them.’ _

-

V looked around a bit, he saw that two new bitties had been disturbed by his scream as well as Shy (Shiny).

_ ‘Please just go about your business nothing to see here everyone’ _ though apparently everyone else thought differently. The new mixed bitty approached him.  _ ‘No, no please just go!’ _

 Then he spoke to him and V looked at the other with a sheepish grin though on the inside he wanted to curl up and dust. 

"Um...n-n-not a k-kid, just have s-s-stunted gr-growth, sorry for b-b-b-bothering you," V shrunk back into himself a bit. He resisted the urge to cradle his empty socket, his owners hated that and called him weird for it.

-

Niv looked over the other.

He seemed almost scared...

Sighing he said "Naw, I call everyone kid. You sure your ok there? You look kind of shaken up. Name’s Niv by the way."

-

_ ‘Oh stars the other, Niv, is still there talking to me. I didn't mean to upset anyone, is he going to hurt me? He doesn't seem like he would.’ _

V shook lightly and crossed his arms tightly against his chest for comfort. "M-mine's V....a-are ya gonna hurt me?" V winced as he said that.

_ ‘Please don't I won't try and fight but please don't.’ _ His usual proper grammar devolved as he grew more and more terrified. 

_ ‘Niv is just staring at me, I'm such a nuisance. I'd deserve it if he hurt me.’ _

-

Ignoring the Salmia, he quickly slithers off to find V. Arriving, he sees another new bitty.

Without warning, he was beside V, tackling Niv with his coiling around the other, and hissing in anger. 

“What did you do?”

-

The Salmia chirped loudly in distress he wasn’t sure why his new new new Lamia friend would attack someone without warning. There wasn’t anything that seemed wrong. He wasn’t sure what to do, and he started to chirp louder in distress and worry.

-

The combined force of Vs question, and the angry snake suddenly appearing seemingly out of nowhere threw Niv off for a second before he glared at the newcomer.

"I didn't do anything, I just came over to make sure he was alright.

And no Sweetheart, I have absolutely no interest in hurting you. I just wanted to make sure you were alright."

-

The Rapscallion pulled himself together, peeking outside his door to confirm everything was okay. He was just in time to see the Lamia tackle another bitty. He cried out in fear, before slapping his hands over his mouth to muffle the noise. He could be reached too easily where he was, so he shot into the air so he could hide up in the rafters. 

_ 'Rappy, Rappy, Rappy. Don't you know there's no point in running?' _

-

V immediately dropped to the ground and curled up rocking himself back and forth. 

"m'sorry, m'sorry, my fault, all my fault," V began babbling. 

_ ‘Niv got tackled because of me, all my fault, hurt, don't want others to hurt.’ _

-

Seeing the other bitty in distress, Shiny lets go of Niv and quickly curls up into the most unstable bitty and purrs at V. 

“It’s not your fault.” He starts to nuzzle V.    
“It’s my fault not yours.”

-

_ ‘Niv looks on in confusion of what to do now.’ _

-

The little Salmia wasn’t sure what to do. There was so much going on! Seeing the big Lamia hug onto another he decided he would follow the big fellows lead and joined in hugging this other bitty and also repeated what he said.

“Notss your fault!!”

He just wanted to be helpful!

-

V calmed down significantly at the other's touch, he realized what he had done and he blushed. Then the Salmia from before joined in and he was overloaded. He did his best to remain calm, the Salmia was young and probably trying to be helpful, but V would be lying if he said it was working all that well.

He managed to go back to being somewhat calm, as calm as he ever got anyway, when Shy (Shiny) nuzzled him. 

"Th-thanks, a-again, and it's not your fault, if I wasn’t so b-broken none of this would've happened. Oh and hello,"   
_‘What's the other's name? Did they have one?’_   
"Sal," wasn't a creative nickname but it worked, really the only reason he gave the Salmia a nickname was because they were young and he didn't want to just say the breed name as it seemed too cold and technical.

-

The Salmia chirped happily, this name was much better than Sprinkles! “Ssal! I’m Ssal!”

He joined in, nuzzling, leaving a small layer of his natural slime along the way on the other.

-

Shiny grimace at the Salmia slimy body.   
_‘Why me, why is it so weird.’_   
The Lameer purrs louder when V says those words.   
“Your not useless. It’s just your mind saying those things. You aren’t useless.”

-

The Boss looked over at the small crowd that had formed around the crying bitty. He wasn't quite sure how to feel about the whole situation. As much as he didn't want to get involved with the others right now, the little guy  _ obviously _ needed help - and the other bitties didn't seem to be helping too much. He took one slow step towards the group, but kept his distance. For once, he was glad about the lack of attention on him - it gave him the opportunity to observe the situation uninterrupted.

-

Feeling kind of useless now that V was in the middle of a lamia pile, Niv looked around and noticed a wounded Boss looking at the group.

-

_ ‘Well, so much for the lack of attention,’ _ thought the Boss. Was that a Cherry or an Edgy that was staring at him? Those two were always so difficult to tell apart until they started either cursing or crying, and he wasn't keen on dealing with either. Oh well, that was the price he had to pay for being out of the hospital wing. He straightened his spine and did his best to look imposing.

-

Niv gave a little chuckle of amusement at the Boss.

He gave a cheeky grin before heading over to stand next to him. "Heya."

-

_ ‘Did he seriously just laugh at me?’ _

The Boss would have crossed his arms in indignation if he didn't need both hands to hold the crutches. As things were, the only thing he could do was draw himself up even taller, glowering down at the other bitty with his remaining good eye.

"Greetings," he said, letting a light growl slip into his voice.

-

_ 'Cheerful thing isn't he?' _ Niv thought to himself.

"Name's Niv. You new here too?"

-

Well, whatever bitty breed Niv was, he didn't seem easily intimidated. Although the Boss had to admit that he  _ probably _ didn't make the most intimidating figure in his current state.

"Yes. They have finally deemed me fit enough to be released into this area - which I have been telling them for  _ weeks, _ but they wouldn't listen!" He cut himself off from ranting. "I take it you are new to this establishment as well?"

-

"Yep. Just got in a few minutes ago. Though a scream and an overprotective snake is not the way I thought even my first few minutes would go..."Niv said.

-

The Boss let his posture relax the tiniest amount. This conversation was going surprisingly not-horribly.

"I can say the same. I wonder if they are always like this..."

-

Letting out a hidden yawn, (he wasn't totally rude thank you very much.) Niv gave a chuckle. "No clue, but it should be interesting here if they are."

-

The Boss snorted. "You can say that again." Noticing Niv yawn, he added: "Don't feel obligated to stand here if you're tired. As much as I am enjoying our conversation, I will be able to find some other form of entertainment."

_ ‘And maybe an excuse to sit down,’ _ he thought. His leg was starting to hurt again.

-

Muffling another yawn Niv decided it probably  _ would _ be a good idea if he laid down, at least for a little bit.

"Yeah, I think I'm going to head to my room. See you around?"

-

"Yes, see you around. It was... nice to meet you, I suppose."  This might have been the longest conversation he had ever had with either a Cherry or an Edgy. He would have to ask Niv about his breed another time.

-

"heh." Giving a double finger salute off his forehead in way of good bye, he headed to his room before flopping comfortably onto the terrific bed and falling asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you'd like the see the characters character sheets, with their historys' and descriptions, we have another work attached to this series that lists everyone as they come into the Center.


	8. signing and honey mishaps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Boss makes a friend.

The Rapscallion cautiously flew down when things started to calm down. He sat in the grass, a little ways away from everyone else.

-

The Boss slowly made his way towards the bonsai trees. Now that the commotion had calmed down, he didn't feel like heading into his apartment right away. There was a bench placed conveniently at the edge of the ‘forest’ from where he could overlook both the grassy area and the basking stones. Lowering himself onto it, he barely suppressed a sigh of relief as the weight was taken off his injured leg. Only then did he notice a vaguely familiar face in the grass.

-

The Rapscallion gave a little noise when he was spotted, but relaxed a little when he saw that it was just the Boss bitty. They'd been in the medical area together for a while, though the Rapscallion had never gotten the courage to actually approach the other bitty. He gave a shy little wave from his place in the grass.

-

The boss remembered seeing the Rapscallion in the hospital wing, although they had never talked to each other. He waved back at them. "Good to see you're back on your feet as well."

-

With a shy nod, the Rapscallion opened his mouth to respond. No words escaped him though, his voice had taken a vacation after the rude awakening he'd had that morning. He scooted a little closer to the Boss bitty, then signed with shaking hands. 

_ “Do you sign?” _

-

It took the Boss a moment to realize that the Rapscallion's hand movements were sign language. Suddenly he felt awkward. "I'm afraid I've never learned how to sign."

-

Shoulders sagging, the Rapscallion lowered his hands. What use was sign language if others couldn't even understand it? Did any of the bitties know it?

-

His soul clenched at the dejected expression of the other.  _ ‘Darn it.’ _ He wasn't supposed to be so easily affected by other people's feelings.

"I... could get you something to write?" he offered, not exactly looking forward to getting up again. "Or you could teach me?"

-

The Rapscallion perked up a little. He managed to stutter out a barely understandable "T-t-te-te-ea-ea-ac-ach?"

-

The Boss nodded. "Yes, teach me so I can understand you properly!" He faltered. "I, um, have no idea how to go about this."

-

"c-c-co-op-opy." The Rapscallion did the sign for copy. He figured that would be at least a good way to start. Boss bitties tended to be pretty stubborn, so hopefully he'd really dedicate himself to learning, then the Rapscallion wouldn't always have to stutter.

-

The Boss replicated the hand movements as best he could, determined to learn this new language as fast as possible. 

"Like this?"

-

The Rapscallion nodded. 

"D-di-dir-ire-ect-ect-tion c-co-cou-oun-nts." He shifted so that he was making the motion pointed at himself.

 "Co-op-opy m-me-e."

-

"Copy me." The Boss repeated the motion. "Then is this –" he made the same motion towards the Rapscallion "– copy you?"

-

The Rapscallion beamed at the Boss. He made the sign for yes by basically nodding with his hand. 

"Ye-ye-es."

-

With all of the commotion going on, the big ol snake bitty was plenty distracted. So the Hellion decided to set up a few tricks by the basking rocks. He dug out little holes at the edges of some rocks, so that when they were climbed on, they would tilt and topple the climber off. He made sure there wasn't any obvious sign of his tampering, though. He worked quickly, then flitted over to the pool to wash up.

As he was washing, he noticed there were a few more new bitties in the area. He hoped they weren't as sensitive as the first few. It was no fun playing jokes on people who would only cry about it. He preferred to make people angry. Then stay out of reach while they yelled. It was hilarious!

-

The Boss grinned back, starting to become enthusiastic. 

"So if this is yes," he said, repeating the nodding motion, "what does no look like?"

-

The Rapscallion made the gesture for no, which was different from yes in that is wasn't just shaking a closed fist.

-

The Boss tried to repeat the gesture, but could already tell he was doing it wrong. "Show me again?" he asked.

-

He repeated the gesture patiently. He was just glad someone was actually taking the time to learn it, he could be patient.

-

Looking closely, the Boss tried the gesture again. "Is this correct?"

-

_ “Yes!” _

-

The Boss beamed at the Rapscallion, proud that he was already able to understand the answer.

 "You have already taught me well!"

-

The Rapscallion's wings gave a happy little flutter. He moved onto the next sign. 

"Si-si-i-ign."

-

Oh, that tiny flutter was too cute. Momentarily distracted, he looked back at the Rapscallion's hands just in time to catch the next gesture. As he was about to repeat it, something else suddenly came to mind.

"I've never asked about your name. Do you have one? And how do I call you in sign language?"

-

The Rapscallion sighed, a little sad.

 "n-n-no-o n-na-am-ame."

-

The Boss hummed. Technically, he did have a name, but it was a name given to him by his old owners. It felt wrong to keep using it now.

"Neither do I."

-

The Rapscallion hummed, thinking a little. He didn't know the boss well enough to give him a sign name, so he just said and signed "B-b-bo-oss."

He then pointed at himself. "Cl-clo-lo-ose-est t-to m-me i-is m-mon-monk-key." And he did the sign for monkey.

-

He repeated the sign for his ‘name’ a few times, determined to commit it to memory, before doing the same with the Rapscallion's. 

"Monkey", he repeated. "I like that."

-

The Rapscallion yawned, starting to feel tired again. He supposed one became easy to tire when their soul was as damaged as his. The next sign he did was "Sl-sle-lee-eep."

-

"Sleep..." the Boss murmured, brows furrowed as he concentrated on copying the gesture. Only then did he notice the others yawn. 

"Oh, are you tired?"

-

The Hellion flitted around the room a bit, setting up a few other harmless little tricks here and there. He'd found a packet of honey in one of the small fridges, so he'd had fun putting that in various places. On the chains of the swings on the playground. On some of the fridge door handles. On some of the apartment door handles. And so on.

As he was flying past the little bonsai trees, he overheard the Rapscallion teaching the new Boss to sign, so he decided to perch on one of the nearby tree branches and listen in, licking honey from his fingers while he did. It never hurt to learn something new, and sign might be useful in the future.

-

_ “Yes.” _

"s-so-so-ou-oul d-da-da-am-ag-age." The Rapscallion didn't want to explain too much more. His audience of now two would probably understand well enough. 

"C-ca-an s-st-ta-ay u-up l-lo-on-ong-ger."

-

_ ‘Soul damage?! _ What on earth had happened to this bitty?’

 "Well, in that case, you should go to bed! Would you like me to walk you to your door?"

-

The Rapscallion sighed, but nodded. "S-su-sur-ure."

-

The Boss picked up his crutches again and began to get up, carefully shifting the weight onto his injured leg. Resting had done him some good, he could stand with barely any pain now. He nodded over to the apartments. 

"Well, let's go."

-

The Rapscallion followed at his friend's heels. "Th-tha-an-ank y-yo-ou."

-

The Boss made his way to the wall where the entrances to the apartments were lined up. Every few steps he looked over to the Rapscallion to make sure he wasn't falling behind, although the doubted the other would have any difficulties keeping up with his slow pace.

-

When the reached the stairs, the Rapscallion turned and gave the boss a small smile. "Y-yo-ou d-do-on't h-ha-ave t-to fo-fol-oll-llow u-up-ups-sta-airs."

-

The Hellion watched the signing lesson with at least half of his attention. But it didn't go on long before the Rapscallion had to sleep apparently. The term 'soul damage' concerned him a little. But he tried not to dwell on it. He'd already decided not to mess with the broken bitty too much. That was as far as he was willing to go as far as consideration went.

When the two of them got up to head to the apartments, though, a grin spread on his face. He let the now empty honey packet fall to the ground, then got up to fly after them, moving to perch on another nearby tree where he wouldn't likely be spotted. He wanted to see who opened the door and what their reaction would be to his little bit of fun. It wouldn't hurt the Rapscallion if it was him, so it should still be a fun joke.

-

The Boss let out an indignant huff. Did the Rapscallion really think something as inconsequential as a broken leg would keep him from using the stairs?! He had said he would walk him to his door, and he was not about to go back on his word! Gritting his teeth – alright, maybe a broken leg wasn't _ quite _ as inconsequential as he had thought – he heaved himself up the stairs to the apartment where the Rapscallion was headed. He wanted to open the door for him like a proper gentleman.

-

When he heard the noise of the crutches on the stairs, the Rapscallion turned to fix the Boss with a glare. "I-I'm o-on th-thi-ir-ird fl-flo-loor."

-

_ Third floor? _ He hadn't even made it halfway up to the first floor, and he was already regretting his decision.  _ ‘Well, too late to turn back now.’ _

"I'll... be... fine," he managed to say in between grunts.

-

Time to be firm.  _ “No.” _

-

The Boss froze. Well, that had been clear. "Are you sure? I said I would walk you to your door..."

-

"S-su-ur-ure. Fr-fri-iends d-don-on't a-ask h-hur-urt o-of f-fri-ien-ends."

-

"F-friends?" The Boss couldn't keep his voice from cracking a bit. _ ‘Nobody has ever called me a friend…’ _ _   
_ He felt a grin spread across his face, his soul lighter than it had been in years. "N-no, of course not. If you are certain that you can get to your apartment on your own, I will gladly stay down here... friend."

-

The Rapscallion grinned right back, giving a small wave before taking into the air on wings that didn't quite seem like they should be able to lift him up. Still, he was able to get to his door quickly, and he reached for the handle to enter. His eye-lights gutted out when he felt something sticky-

_ 'Sticky, coppery can't get it off off off get it OFF!' _ The Rapscallion started to panic, and he couldn't even get to his safe place. Tears welled in his eyes, and he took to the air again to try and hide from whatever was bleeding, bleeding things hurt. It wasn't until he'd settled up in a rafters and realized that the liquid on his hands was entirely too gooey and not red that he saw it for a prank. Knowing he wasn't actually in danger, he broke down a little. He'd been so scared over nothing.

-

That... Had not been the reaction the Hellion had been expecting. So even something as small as that was off limits for the Rapscallion?! It was supposed to be funny! It wasn't supposed to make the other bitty have a panic attack and run away!

The Hellion growled to himself. _ At  _ himself. He didn't like  _ hurting _ people with his pranks. It made him irritated. This one shouldn't have hurt!

Frowning, he took off after the other bitty. The least he could do was apologize for whatever mental 'demons' he'd stirred up.

He alighted a good foot or so away from the Rapscallion on the rafter, face fixed in a glare of discontent. "Hey." He said, just to get the other's attention.

-

The Rapscallion wiped at his tears frantically with his clean hand. He tried to respond with a hey of his own, but could only get out a sad wheeze.

-

The Boss couldn't see exactly what had happened, but he knew something was wrong when the Rapscallion jumped away from the door and took off into the rafters. "Rapscallion?" he shouted up towards the roof, trying to get a look at his new friend, "Monkey? Are you alright?"

_ ‘Stupid question,’ _ he berated himself, of course he was not alright. Already fury rose up in him at whoever had done whatever it was to hurt his friend.

-

The Hellion frowned more, the tears poking at his soul and making him uncomfortable. 

"It was just honey, pal, the fuck're ya gettin so upset fer?"

No! No he'd come here to apologize! The hell was he saying?! He was just gonna make it worse!

-

"Th-tho-o-ou-ou-ght b-b-bl-blo-" He couldn't even finish the word, still upset. It cut off, just bringing more tears to his eyes.

-

"Well it wasn't!" He half growled, half shouted. "It was honey! It was just a fuckin joke! Stop crying!!"

First the kid, and now this guy! Could no one take a fucking joke around here?! What was the hellion supposed to do if he couldn't play pranks?! It was part of who he was! It... It helped him to forget about the things that he didn't like thinking about. But everyone here was broken and crying and screaming and he was so sick of it!

-

The Rapscallion recoiled, a sob ringing out. He glanced down, and spotted his friend. Boss wouldn't hurt him, wouldn't shout. He jumped off from the rafters, and for a terrifying moment his wings didn't work. Thankfully he managed to get them working just in time that he only landed with a slightly painful thud. He ran over to his friend, tackling him into a hug and crying into his chest.

-

The Rapscallion ran away... The Hellion sat there frozen for a second. Then gave a frustrated shout, tears pricking at his own eyes. Damn it! of course the Rapscallion had run away! Fuck! Why was he like this?! He'd wanted to apologize! Not-... Take his frustration out on someone who was already hurting...

"Dammit..." he muttered, curling into a bit of a ball, his wings and tail curling around him defensively. The Rapscallion wasn't likely to come back, and no one else could get up here. He was free to berate himself and wallow in his own self pity and frustration for a bit.

-

The Boss winced in sympathy at the painful looking landing, and winced again when he almost lost his balance as the Rapscallion tackled him. For a second he was frozen, couldn't do anything but stare down at the crying bitty that had attached itself to his chest. It then occurred to him that he should probably do  _ something.  _  What  _ was _ he supposed to do?

"Shh, it's ok, Monkey," he tried. "You're safe, nobody is hurting you..." Was that something you said in this situation? Was he allowed to touch? Hug back? He should probably start by not falling over. Slowly, so the other bitty could move with him, he lowered himself onto the steps until he was sitting more securely and could let go of the crutches. His hands came to hover helplessly over the Rapscallion's shoulders.

-

The Rapscallion _ knew _ he was safe, but it wasn't until the Boss actually said it that he started to relax. Even still, he couldn't completely stop his crying. 

"W-wa-wa-as sc-sca-ar-are-red an-an- an he j-ju-us-ust sh-shou-out-outed."

-

As he felt his friend relax a little, the Boss let out a small sigh of relief. "It's alright," he murmured, keeping his voice as soft as possible. "Everything is going to be alright." Gently, he lowered one hand onto the Rapscallion's back and started rubbing his shoulder blade in what he hoped was a comforting gesture.

-

The Rapscallion's tears were slow to stop, and considering how tired he'd been before, was it really any wonder that he cried himself right to sleep? When he woke up he'd be sure to be embarrassed, but in the moment he just couldn't keep himself up any longer.

-

A pang of worry shot through the Boss when his friend went limp, but he quickly realized that he had just cried himself to sleep. He adjusted the bitty in his arms so that he was cradled against him a bit more comfortably and settled back against the railing.


	9. That darn bell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sal makes friends.

V didn't know why Sal (the Salmia) was so excited about his nickname for him, it made him smile and chuckle a bit. Then Sal nuzzled him, and V was coated partly by a thin sheen of slime. V actually didn't mind it, it was better than being hurt, and it was an affectionate gesture on the part of the young bitty.

When he heard Shy (Shiny) say he wasn't useless, V didn't really believe him. A normal bitty wouldn't freak out so much. Heck, Cherrys were more open to socialization and less prone to freaking out as bad as he did during conflict. 

"I take it y-you like my nickname for you then Sal? As for my uselessness, I'll concede to being hard on m-m-myself but I still feel like I could be better," V responds, blushing slightly from all the attention and fuss.

-

Still nuzzling the other, Shiny hums at the other response. 

“Perfect like thiss.”

-

“Yesss! Very much sso! It’ss much better than Ssprinkles!”

Due to Shiny still hugging onto the other, Sal decided he would as well. It was like he was snuggling in his clutch, and he started making happy chirps at being able to be close to so many.

-

Nuzzling both the bitties, Shiny let go of V but he still felt the Salmia holding on. 

“Could you let go?” 

He really really wants to go to the rocks, the warm feeling might make him feel better and gather all of these emotions.

-

With Shiny moving, and requesting he did as well, Sal decided that it would be fine to move. He got lots of cuddles today! He did stay close, and would follow after Shiny if he left though.

-

V found his smile widening as Sal (the Salmia) said his nickname was better than Sprinkles, he wasn't sure if they meant like actual sprinkles or if Sprinkles was their name. Either way, it felt good to make the young one happy. When Shy (Shiny) said he was perfect as he was, V found his blush coming back with a vengeance, one cheek red and the other blue as per usual.

 _‘I'm not perfect, but thank you for saying as much’_ V couldn't bring himself to say that aloud. 

"Thanks Shy. Would you m-mind if I t-tagged along with you t-today?" Is what V actually ended up saying. If he was with V, maybe he might not be so skittish and easily triggered into his curling and babbling.

-

Shiny smiles at the small shy bitty. 

“Sure, you can come anytime you want.” 

He then starts to slither into the rocks, he can feel the heat from here. He starts to purr at the heat as he arrives at the rocks. He waits for the others.

-

V followed Shy (Shiny) to the basking rocks. He was happy the other agreed to let him tail him, he really didn't want to cause anymore problems and the lamia seemed to be able to calm him relatively easily if he did get upset. 

‘ _You are a burden to him, what does he gain by doing this?_ ’ 

Nothing, Shy gained nothing from helping him… but V needed him until he could interact normally again. 

_‘Selfish.’_

-

Coiling on to one of the rocks, Shiny’s purring rises. He looks at V coming toward him, and sees the Syalmia leave. He gives a tiny chirp of happiness as the heat keeps making him warm.

-

At the entrance of the bitty room, a small box was placed down. The box itself was silent and light, as if nothing was in there at all. Whatever was inside, it made no move to get out, even though the box had an entrance that very easily allowed the bitty to leave. It could probably be left for hours before the being inside made any attempts to explore.

-

Sal started to slither after but stopped when he scented the air and found a new scent. His curious nature got the best of him and he forgot that he wanted to go with Shiny. Instead he found himself following the scent until he literally ran into the box.

Scenting the box, he made a happy little chirping noise. Whatever it was, was in the box! Could it be food? A toy? A new friend?! Oh what could be in the box!

He chirped away happily as he tried to figure out how to get into the box.

-

The small skeleton inside the box was just starting to fall asleep when he heard something from the outside. At first, he thought he was imagining it, until he heard little chirping noises. Was somebody outside?

...Oh. Somebody was outside.

Well, he shouldn’t be surprised. There were many people around, after all. He’d heard some noises earlier, too. He just didn’t expect them to come his way.

Honestly? He wasn’t used to social interaction, so he wasn’t sure how comfortable he was with that. So he’d just… stay quiet and pretend he didn’t exist.

Yeah. Great plan.

-

Tala opened the door to the adoption center with a wide smile and a couple flowers in her grasp. She looked around the room, but failed to spot her little bitty friend. She gave the bell that was supposed to call the bitties a ring.

-

A bell rang out in the bitty area, announcing to the bitties that someone was there to adopt.

-

Hellion jerked at the ring. 

 _`Fuck! Was it her?!’_  

He didn't know if he wanted to go out there right now... But she said... That she'd bring him a flower... He didn't really feel like he deserved one at the moment... But he wiped at his tears, and flew out to the **_main room_ ** anyway.

-

The Boss let out a yawn. He hadn't even noticed how tired he had become until now. While the stairs were not the most comfortable place he had ever fallen asleep in, they weren't the worst, either – and he really didn't have the heart to wake his friend by trying to carry him somewhere else. As he closed his eyes and began to drift off, he didn't even hear the bell ringing.

-

Hearing the bell, Shiny hisses at the noise and quickly slithers over to V. He coils around him in a hug and uses all his magic to be alert.

-

V wasn't sure why the bell made Shy (Shiny) so protective, it wasn't like he was going to the main room anyway. He was too scared for one, and for another he was more content to stay with Shy. Maybe Shy was just protective of him? The hiss had startled him a bit and he shook slightly until he calmed down, 

 _‘Shy is safe, Shy won't hurt me’._   V nuzzled into the other, content to stay within his coils for however long Shy wanted him there.

===

Sal was still trying to figure out what was in the box when a bell rang and he chirped even more excitedly, he like that noise! It was pretty, so he now loved it! He saw a blur fly towards it and the only blur he knew of was his first friend. He was now torn at following his friend or checking out the box.

Scenting the air a few times, he didn’t smell anything yet so he decided he could try and find his new friend later but this box was right here with a new smell!

He started to try and climb the side of the box, making scratching noises with his hands as he did.

“Musst ssee whatss in the boxss!”

-

The little Esphorm in the box jerked at the bell that rang out. What the hell was that?! Whatever it was, he did not want it ringing out again. He moved to the side of the box that was furthest from that bell-thing, then frowned to himself when his shuffling made a little noise.

-

Hearing a noise from inside made Sal even more excited to get into the box!

“Boxss what do you hold! Tell me your ssecretss!!”

-

He felt sweat bead on his skull. Whoever this was, was really interested in him, for whatever reason. He was _not_ used to it. Because he wasn’t used to it, he was a little scared. Because he was scared, he made no attempt to announce himself in any way. He was already disappointed in himself for making noise with somebody right there.

===

Feeling the other nuzzle into him, Shiny ignores it looking around the place. He knew that noise, the noise that the breeder had when someone took away one of his siblings.  Feeling the other’s confusion, he quickly nuzzles back. 

“It’s a ring so bitties know that the adopters are here.”

-

V knew that, what he didn't know was why Shy had responded in such a way to that ring. 

"I know that, but why did you coil around me and get so protective? I wouldn't go unless you went first, y-you're my f-friend and I don't want to lose you," V confided in the lamia. 

_‘Dependent aren't we?’_

-

Shiny lets go of the other with a huff and looks to the other side, crossing his arms. 

“Just worry that they might take you away. You’re not ready.”

-

 _‘Nice way to upset your first actual friend, impressive if it wasn't so pathetic.’_  

V almost felt like crying, he hadn't meant to upset the other. V understood why the other had been protective now at least. Shy (Shiny) didn't think he was ready and he didn't want someone to take him. 

 _‘Like you will ever be ready for an adopter’_ V thought bitterly. He was not a desirable bitty, going from home to home, being used as a dummy, and in an experiment isn't exactly the kind of history people look for when wanting to adopt a bitty.

"Heh, n-no r-reason to worry, n-no one wants a b-broken b-bitty like me anyway, and besides I could j-just scream for y-you if someone tried taking me. Still, s-sorry I upset you," V responded as he looked at the ground dejectedly.

-

He looks back at the other with a frown. 

“You’re not broken, you’re unique. People bring you down, but you’re still here.” He puts his hand on one of V’s shoulders. 

“Still wanna come with me to the rock? I’ve calmed down.”

-

V nodded to his friend and smiled happily, at least the other still wanted to be around him! 

"Of course I still want to," V responded happily. Why wouldn't he? Because Shy (Shiny) got protective of him? No, if anything that made him feel safer with his new friend.

"I w-was worried you w-wouldn't want to anymore because I upset y-you," V stuttered a bit when talking about this because he wasn't any good with sharing his feelings, but he figured the other deserved to know. Besides, he felt comfortable enough to try sharing his feelings with Shy.

-

Shiny snorts at V’s words. “Nothing upsets me. Now cmon, I feel a little bit cold.” He slithers back to the rocks, coiling back again in the spot he left.

-

V follows Shy (Shiny) with a small giggle escaping him 

_‘nothing upsets him and yet he tackled someone earlier.’_

As V made his way over to the rock Shy was on, he felt the heat coming off them. He liked the warmth, so it didn't bother him. Being cold reminded him about the experiment where he had nothing to warm himself with.

As V climbed up onto the rock, it tilted and began to fall over. 

_‘Oh no, no, no, you ruined something!’_

===

It took a bit, but Sal got himself up the side enough to grab hold and just about flipped himself over. His tail making him just about fall into the box.

Once in, he scented the air and zoned in on his target. It was another friend! He was so excited he chirped happily!

“Another new new new friend! Sso many Friendss!”

He slithered closer, and got into the others personal space to get a better idea of what they looked like.

“You pretty! Sso many pretty new friends! How are you new friend! I’m Ssal! Other friend gave me the best name!”

-

The Esphorm could only stare as the one who was on the outside got in and got close. Oh dear.

At least… they were pretty? And cute.

But that didn’t stop him from wanting to shrink into himself and disappear. Again. As it was, though, he managed to stay completely still and watch the other, a little wearily.

“...uh. Hi,” He said, quietly.

-

Sal chirped happily with them replying to him!

“Why are you in thiss box? There sso much fun sstuff outsside the box! Oh! You sshould meet my friendss or find out why that pretty bell rang! We sshould play together! Do you like sswimming we sshould sswim! If not I like coloring! We could color! We!”

His stomach grumbled and it made him stop his talking.

“Ssal is hungry, are you hungry new friend? We could go eat!” He chirped more excited about being with his new friend.

-

There they went, asking one question after another. It was almost endearing, in a way. That was, if he’d known them for longer.

The questions were also pretty nice. It meant that he didn’t have to worry about making conversation himself, he could just answer questions. He did notice that they immediately took to calling him a friend, but he supposed he didn’t mind.

“...well. I'm in this box, because… It’s dark. And small, I guess. Felt... safe.” He felt blue spread upon his cheekbones. “I... wouldn’t mind doing stuff together?” The concept of meeting more people and or checking out that bell did freak him out, though.

He tilted his head at the mention of eating. How long had it been since he’d done that? “...Food?”

-

“Yesss! There’ss plenty of food! Friend sshowed me the place that hass the food! Letss go get food!”

Sal turned to the box and started his slow wiggle up to be able to get out of the box. Once he made it to the top, he hung on it before reaching down for the other.

“Ssal will help! Take Ssal’ss hand!”

-

Sal, huh? Okay.

They seemed friendly enough, so he figured there was nothing wrong with a little touch. He reached up and allowed Sal to pull him out of the box, then began to follow Sal wherever they went.

He wasn’t normally one to speak much, so he kept quiet and hoped that his new… friend, apparently, wouldn’t introduce him to anybody else.

-

He was happy that the other took his hand, it was the first contact someone else did! Once they were out, he lead them to the fridges, planning on taking some back to the pool like his other friends had done for him.

“Ssal just realized Ssal doessn’t know your name. Ssal doesn’t know anyoness namess there jusst my friendss! Thatss good enough for Ssal!”

It didn’t take them too terribly long before they reached the fridges and Sal went to the one he knew had his bugs and worms in it.

-

He listened patiently to everything Sal said.

“I don't really have a name?” He mentioned, though it was phrased as a question. “I mean, I did, but they were hardly ever brought up that i sort of… forgot them.”

-

Taking the bucket of crickets again he wanted them and he was determined to eat them this time! He turned to his new friend with surprise.

“Ssal had a name before here it was Ssprinkles. I hated being called Ssprinkless! Im not a ssprinkle! Im a Ssalmia! Ssilly human didn’t know what I wass!” He chipped a bit to himself before continuing.

“Ssal iss not good at coming up with namess. Hmmm how about…” He looked at the food in his hands and then looked up at the other. He was very unsure on what to call his new friend.

“How about, um, hmmm. Lue! Like your shirt!” Sal wasn’t good at the names of colors, he hadn’t learned them all yet, but he remember it was lue something and it would work!

===

Letting out a panicked hiss, Shiny grabs V in a protective hug closing his eye sockets, thinking they will fall into their death. But the rock just tips over a little bit into the hole. Falling with a tiny thump into the hole. Shiny facepalm at the small prank.

-

V let out a laugh at Shy (Shiny) facepalming himself. "Um, you okay? S-sorry about the rock, I can help fill in the hole so it won't happen again? If we can get the rock out I'm a-afraid I'm t-to small to help much with pushing it out but I'll t-try," V told his friend, he wanted to help Shy but pushing the rock out may be a task for a taller or stronger bitty, or an actual normal size person.

-

Shiny blushes at the other’s laughter. He quickly hides it by letting V go. And turning and slithering around the rock he hums when he sees the damage. “No its alright just let the handler do it. Its their fault that it happen.”

-

V nodded, "S-so should we just sit on the gr-ground under the heat lamps then? I'm f-fine with anything really as long as I'm with y-you." Which was true, even meeting new bitties or facing angry bitties didn't seem half as daunting a task when Shy (Shiny) was there.

-

Crossing his arms, he looks at V with blush at the last. “Why don't you show me where you wanna go.”

-

**_A bell rang out, announcing to the bitties that someone was there to adopt._ **

-

Where did _he_ want to go? V looked a bit nervous, he wasn't good with decisions since he always had things thrusted upon him with little to no choice in the matter. "Um… I-I don't know, never g-got to decide for myself before..." V trailed off trying to think of something when his stomach rumbled, ah that's right he hadn't eaten yet and the last thing he had was peanut butter from yesterday. "A-are you hungry?"

V could wait to eat, it wasn't like he hadn't waited before for long periods of time, if the other wasn't hungry he wouldn't leave him just for food. V could wait until the Lamia was hungry, even if it took a few days he could wait.

Just then a bell rang out and he flinched at the loud sound. Again? Already another adopter?

-

Hearing the bell, Shiny ignores it and slithers to the fridge. “Cmon lets go the fridge or if you wanna see the adopters.” Hoping he will say no to the last one.

===

The Esphorm eyed the bucket carefully. Hopefully that bucket wasn’t for him, he didn’t really want to eat crickets. He brought his eyelights away from that, though. Sal was part snake, so they probably were going to eat it, right?

... _Were_ they part snake? Like a lamia? No, that didn’t sound right.

Best to not think about it.

He smiled softly. Lue? Did he mean Blue? That was cute, he liked that. “...Okay. I’m Lue now.”

He specifically kept his eyes away from the bucket of bugs.

And then the bell rang out _again_ and he couldn’t stop himself from jolting in his spot, stiffening up a little.

-

Sal was happy his new friend Lue liked his name! “Ssal happy Lue likess hiss name!”

The bell rang and he chirped happily at the noise! He turned and saw the other seemed to not like the noise.

“Are you okay? Do you not like the pretty noisse?”

-

“It’s…” He hesitated, “...Unusual.” He decided on. It didn’t make him feel very comfortable. He had no trauma behind loud noises like that, it just generally didn’t sound like a very good sound.

He didn’t know what it was supposed to be for, if something was going to happen after it, or what. He’d probably get used to it over time if it happened a lot, but for now he just didn’t like it.

**Author's Note:**

> This is a roleplay server. Nothing here belongs to me, Jennajen, the server itself belongs to [Scarpath](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scarpath) .  
> [A Bitty Paradise](https://discord.gg/Ttv3JA6)


End file.
